Cape Town based clothing small businesses are wrapping up 2025 on a high note through their participation in ‘Cape Acceler8’ programme. It is a 12-month capability that is building journey designed to strengthen and grow emerging manufacturers across the metro.
Cape Acceler8 is delivered by the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster (CCTC). The programme is made possible through contributions from both public and private partners. It is supported by the City of Cape Town as a catalytic funder to the CCTC. Over 40 small businesses form part of the inaugural cohort.
The participants receive expert workshops on business fundamentals such as cost engineering, financial management, customer negotiations and competitor market analysis, alongside NQF-accredited technical training to strengthen the operational capability.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth – Alderman James Vos said that clothing, textile, footwear and leather (altogether called as CTFL) manufacturing is a legacy industry in Cape Town. It is encouraging almost half of the SMMEs in Acceler8 that are from the Cape Flats.
Similarly, 80% of the people are employed in CTFL are women and more than 70% of the programme’s trainees are women-led. These businesses collectively employ more than 600 people. With Acceler8, the officials are helping to equip them with the tools to streamline operations, build networks across the value chain, including major retailers, and grow so that they can employ more Capetonians. And this is what makes the big difference.
During the first month of the Cape Acceler8 programme’s launch in early November, the participants took part in a Lean Fundamentals workshop where they unpacked the concepts of customer value, learned to identify waste in their processes and built confidence to solve problems where the work happens.
The group later embarked on a best-practice tour of South Africa’s largest clothing factory, by observing a live production environment in motion, considering the flow of materials, rhythm of workstations, and the energy of teams who take pride in their craft.
Considering this, the Chief Facilitator at the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster – Courtney Grant said that the support they are receiving from the City of Cape Town is enabling the cluster to bring public and private partners together around a shared mission, by building a globally competitive CTFL value chain in the Western Cape.
Programmes like Cape Acceler8 help in emerging firms access the tools, training and exposure that they need to grow. This kind of catalytic investment lays the groundwork for deeper economic participation and more resilient value chains.
James Vos further added that supporting the development of the local CTFL industry’s smallest firms is central to the mission that not just sustain the existing employers and their staff but also help them to realise the continued growth and investment.
In 2023, Capetonians factories produced 105 million garments that is almost a third of South Africa’s domestic output. In that same year, the industry contributed R5.6 billion to Cape Town’s economy. Due to the global pressures which continued to weigh on local industries. The city will continue to support the programmes such as Acceler8 that empower SMMEs with the skills to innovate and expand.