Fin24 reports that the SA Football Association (SAFA) has hit back at critics who have lambasted the choice of a Turkish clothing manufacturer to sponsor suits for the national soccer team Bafana Bafana.  

It said local sponsors have failed to step forward.  The Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) and Proudly South African said in a joint statement on Tuesday that they had "noted with dismay the photos of Bafana Bafana travelling to and from Egypt for their recent AFCON campaign wearing wholly imported suits sponsored by D's Damat".  This came in the context of the SA government pushing a buy local campaign in an attempt to stimulate the local economy, with President Cyril Ramaphosa having famously given his State of the Nation Address in a locally made suit.  But, SAFA spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi claimed that it was a struggle to secure sponsorship from local companies.  He went on to indicate:  ''The issue on lack of sponsorship for football is well documented, local companies are not coming on board.  Where are the local companies that are willing to sponsor us?"  He reported that Turkish company D's Damat had approached SAFA, which had welcomed the sponsorship.  Chimhavi added that SAFA was also sponsored by Nike, but this had not drawn the same kind of outcry.

• Read the full original of Allison Jeftha’s report on the above at Fin24
• Read the joint Proudly South African/Sactwu press statement on this issue at Sactwu News

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page