Overview

• South Africa’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture confirmed an October 7 meeting with SHEIN to explore sponsorships, skills development and market access for emerging designers and athletes.
• EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo accused Minister Gayton McKenzie of acting outside his mandate and said the party is writing to Ministers Parks Tau and Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and Deputy President Paul Mashatile to seek intervention.
• McKenzie defended the engagement as a way to channel resources to youth talent in a country with 33.5% unemployment, arguing the government should negotiate for greater local participation rather than try to block SHEIN.
• Fashion designer David Tlale criticized the move as out of touch with the clothing and textile value chain and urged the minister to engage local creators and industry realities first.
• A Proudly South Africa–commissioned study estimated SHEIN and Temu accounted for about R7.3 billion in 2024 CTFL sales, with an opportunity cost of roughly R960 million in lost local manufacturing sales and thousands of potential jobs not materialising.