Prada, Gucci and the like may be the usual branded clothing choices for the well-heeled, but at Mangaung, ANC comrades are shelling out on a different brand; the party’s brand.
Vendors are doing a brisk trade selling merchandise ranging from leather jackets and t-shirts to clocks and water bottles; all embellished with the ANC insignia.
They’ve arrived from all over the country hoping to go home with a Christmas bonus. To be a vendor, card-carrying members of the ANC apply for accreditation, paying a R500 registration fee. Many are regulars, accustomed to thriving business at ANC conferences.
Fanus Nkwanyana from KwaZulu-Natal works for a voting delegate from his province. A fascinator hat is the main item on offer. A small hat fetches a price of R1100, the larger one R1500. Nkwanyana has sold 7 hats in 2 days.
T-shirts and caps are the primary big sellers. Thabiso Mkhize, also from Kwa-Zulu Natal, claims to have made R30 000, before expenses, since Saturday. Caps sell for R70, cowboy hats for R100 and t-shirts for R200.At the ANC policy conference held at Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg in June, she made a profit of R25000 in one week.But, Margaret Marule from Soweto, selling leather jackets and jerseys, doesn’t think business is good. “It was better before. Now, business is not so nice. We are losing.” The heat in Bloemfontein may be a contributing factor.Another seller from KwaZulu-Natal, Silindile Sibeko, agrees Mangaung has not been as profitable as expected. At the ANC policy conference held at Gallagher Estate Johannesburg, in June, she made a profit of R25000 in one week. “I’ve been here for 3 days but I haven’t made a profit as yet. I’m hoping or the best.”Vendors say the distance of their stalls from the main plenary tent is the problem. “We registered, and were given stalls inside the venue. But it was far from the delegates, and from the breakfast centre. So we moved outside. It’s still not suitable, the delegates don’t come outside.”
Dali Ndiza from Soweto also chose to move his stall outside. He’s more positive, and says by being outside he’s getting business from non-delegates too. Ndiza owns a stall at the Rosebank craft market, catering for tourists. Some of his products are hand-made, thus offering something different from the others.Also plying his own work is Linani Zwane, an artist from KwaZulu-Natal. He designs clocks with an African feel and etches the ANC logo onto glass water bottles, jugs and drinking glasses. Due to his fragile stock, he says, “People say they’ll come back on the last day to buy. It looks promising.”
– By Bibi-Aisha Wadvalla
