Dr Tebogo Makube, chief director for industrial procurement at the dtic., acknowledged that the closure of ArcelorMittal South Africa’s Newcastle plant had disrupted supply chains, particularly for the automotive sector, forcing government to temporarily permit imports of certain steel products.
South Africa’s steel industry remains central to the country’s industrialisation ambitions, but faces mounting pressure from weak economic growth, high electricity costs, cheap imports and global overcapacity, Parliament heard on Tuesday.
Briefing the portfolio committee on the implementation of the Steel and Metal Fabrication Master Plan, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) on Wednesday outlined a series of interventions aimed at protecting local manufacturers, boosting demand for locally produced steel and accelerating the sector’s transition to greener production technologies.
Dr Tebogo Makube, acting deputy director-general of sectors at the dtic, described the steel sector as a strategic industry that underpins industrial development and supports a wide range of upstream and downstream industries.
“The steel industry is one of the sectors that are being prioritised because of the multipliers associated with the industry, both upstream and downstream, including the export earnings that we can generate as a country,” Makube said.
