South Africa's textile & articles import dips 4.9% to $1.5 bn - Textile Fashion News Fibre2Fashion Sponsored Join Our Exclusive Free Webinar on Strategic Intelligence for Apparel Sourcing Leaders | Register Now Source innovative home textil
South Africa's textile & articles import dips 4.9% to $1.5 bn - Textile Fashion News Fibre2Fashion Sponsored Join Our Exclusive Free Webinar on Strategic Intelligence for Apparel Sourcing Leaders | Register Now Source innovative home textile products and trends at Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles 2026 | Explore More Connect with global textile professionals at Intertextile Shanghai | Register Today Source sustainable performance fabrics and innovations at Functional Fabric Fair | Register Now Intelligence TexPro F2F Prime News Trade Fairs & Events Marketplace Marketing Solutions Digital Advertisement Print Advertisement Webinar Marketing Media Booster Magazine Subscription Articles Advertise with Us Sign In All Categories Articles News Buyers Suppliers Trade Fairs Interview Market Intelligence F2F Prime For You Textiles Apparel Fashion Retail E-commerce Technology Sustainability Chemicals Technical Textiles News Flash Spandex prices surge on supply crunch, standoff follows, then decline Australian wool market eases in 2026-27 season opening EU proposes tariff-free access for 80% of Armenia's exports Brazil cotton prices fall in June as exports head for monthly record Beyond duty-free: Bangladesh, Cambodia brace for post-LDC era Textiles | South Africa's textile & articles import dips 4.9% to $1.5 bn 04 Jul '262 min read shutterstock.com Insights South Africa's textile imports declined nearly * per cent in January-May 2026, reflecting softer demand, while exports remained broadly stable. The country continues to rely heavily on imported textiles due to structural challenges, including high production costs, energy disruptions, ageing manufacturing capacity and limited competitiveness in value-added exports. In the corresponding period of * * * * , imports totalled * * , * * * . * million rand. South Africa remains structurally dependent on imported textiles and apparel, sourcing heavily from low-cost Asian supply chains, particularly China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam, due to limited cost competitiveness, scale constraints, ageing machinery, and persistent manufacturing bottlenecks in its domestic textile and apparel industry. On a monthly basis, the imports gained * . * per cent to * , * * * . * million rand (~$ * * * . * * million) in May * * * * from * , * * * . * million rand in April * * * * . Meanwhile, exports of textiles and related articles remained almost steady at * * , * * * . * million rand (~$ * * * . * * million) in the first five months of * * * * , against * * , * * * . * million rand, a year earlier. During * * * * , the country’s imports of textiles and textile articles inched up * . * per cent to * * , * * * . * million rand (~$ * . * * * billion), but exports grew * . * per cent to * * , * * * . * million rand (~$ * . * * * billion) in * * * * . Its imports were up * * per cent to * * , * * * . * million rand (~$ * . * * * billion) in * * * * from * * , * * * . * million rand (~$ * . * * * billion) in * * * *
