South Africa imports clothing from Mozambique

One South African company imported over 500 000 items of clothing from Mozambique in just over a year.

Government Inspects Clothing Factory


Maputo — A Mozambican government delegation, headed by the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Kenneth Marizane, on Sunday visited the Moztex clothing factory, in the southern city of Matola, following denunciations by Moztex workers of abuses by the management.


The accusations, made to Maputo Provincial Governor Maria Jonas, include lack of written labour contracts, shifts lasting for more than the eight hours established by law, wage injustice and deplorable working conditions.

In light of the seriousness of the accusations, Marizane's delegation included Labour Ministry inspectors, social welfare officials, and representatives of the trade union movement.

Moztex is owned by the Aga Khan Foundation for Development, and it operates out of the premises of what was once a gigantic textile company, Texlom, which collapsed over a decade ago.

The government team could see that Moztex is taking measures to protect its workforce. The workers have face masks to prevent them from inhaling dust and fibres, and the sewing machines are protected to avoid work accidents.

The factory employs 500 people, 90 per cent of them women. Moztex coordinator Alida Amade said the workers do have written contracts, and their monthly wage is 2,500 meticais (about 82 US dollars). This wage is miserably low, but it is not illegal. Three per cent of the workers' wages is deducted for social security contributions.

But only those who are actually working at the factory receive 2,500 meticais a month. Amade said that those who are still undergoing training merely receive an allowance that ranges between 1,000 and 1,500 meticais a month. She believed that this had not been properly explained to the workers, hence the claim that monthly wages ranged between 1,500 and 2,500 meticais.

"When we recruit workers, they first must go through a six month training period", said Amade. "During this period we pay an allowance which in the first phase is 1,000 meticais a month, and in the second phase 1,500. When these workers move into production, they receive wages just like the others".

Amade said the working day is from 07.00 to 17.00 with an hour's lunch break between 12.00 and 13.00. There is no overtime unless an exceptional volume of work demands it, and she claimed that when that happens, the workers are duly remunerated.

The ambassador for the Aga Khan Development Network in Mozambique, Nazim Ahmad, said that the factory insures its workers against accidents, and is equipping a first aid unit.

He accepted the concerns about working conditions in Moztex, since it becomes stiflingly hot inside the factory. He promised that fans and other air conditioning equipment would soon be installed.

To reduce the high rate of absenteeism among its overwhelmingly female workforce, a creche will be set up, Ahmad promised, so that mothers can bring their children to work.

For their part, the workers told the government they want a wage rise, and better working conditions. This includes the company providing breakfast, since they leave their homes early and make their way to the factory without eating anything.

At the end of his visit, Marizane said that the factory is working correctly. He said that difficulties in meeting expectations were only to be expected at the start of any activity. He called for dialogue between the workers and the company management to solve existing problems and avoid future conflicts.

"One way to solve your problems is to work hard", he said. "If you work, the company will make higher profits and thus will be able to offer better wages and working conditions. You should be committed and stop inventing excuses for not coming to work".

Currently there is no union at Moztex, and Marizane urged the workers to set up a trade union branch which could negotiate on their behalf.

Jessica Gune, general secretary of the National Union of Chemical and Allied Workers, assured him that steps to establish a branch of her union at Moztex are well advanced. She said training activities are being prepared so that the workers will understand their rights and duties under Mozambican labour legislation.

Most of the clothing produced by Moztex is exported to South Africa. From the start of production in September 2009 up to December 2010, the company put about 500,000 items of clothing on the South African market.

Because of the demands made by the South African client, the raw material is imported from China.

A consignment of 30,000 items of clothing should be dispatched to South Africa on Tuesday. It has been rumoured that these clothes bear labels saying "Made in South Africa" or "Made in Kenya", but Marizane could watch as labels stating "Made in Mozambique" were sewn into the clothes.

Moztex hopes to export clothes to the United States under AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) as from May. According to Ahmad, the deal is almost finalized, and the company is now awaiting a firm figure for how much clothing its potential American clients wish to purchase.

"We are finalizing an export agreement for the United States", he said. "Our objective is to reach not just South Africa, but the entire world".

He was optimistic that Moztex could break into the US and the British markets, in which case "we are convinced that we shall triple our exports".

That would require Moztex to increase its capacity by installing more machinery, and hiring extra workers. Ahmad thought this implied investment of a further five million US dollars

Reference: Copyright © 2011 Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
Date: 19 April 2011