Buying local remains one of the most direct ways South African consumers and businesses can support job creation. Proudly South African, the country’s official buy-local advocacy campaign, gives qualifying local businesses a recognised mark of quality and a membership network to grow within.
What is Proudly SA?
Proudly South African, known as Proudly SA, is a membership-based organisation that seeks to increase local production and influence consumers to buy local. It was launched in 2001, born out of the 1998 Presidential Job Summit’s drive to combat poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Who can join?
Proudly SA works with businesses once they are already up and running and trading, rather than incubating or mentoring early-stage startups. Companies can be manufacturers or service providers from any industry or sector, provided they meet the membership criteria.
What are the membership requirements?
To qualify, a business must demonstrate genuine local content, in practice at least half of production cost incurred in South Africa, along with proof of quality certification and adherence to labour and environmental legislation.
What does membership cost?
Membership fees are scaled to company turnover so businesses of most sizes can afford to join. The starting fee is R500 (excluding VAT) a year for smaller businesses, with most current members paying R500 or R1,000 annually; fees are payable upfront and renewable each year, and members who prepay a three-year membership receive a discount. Confirm your business’s exact fee bracket directly with Proudly SA, since it depends on your turnover and sector.
What do members get?
- The right to use the Proudly SA logo, a recognised mark of local content and quality, on products, packaging, marketing material and digital platforms.
- Access to sector-specific expos, workshops, conferences and the annual Proudly SA Buy Local Summit & Expo, including exhibition space at no additional cost.
- Vendor registration on Proudly SA’s own online shopping and B2B platform, rsamade.co.za.
- Advocacy on industry issues such as import tariffs, carried out by Proudly SA on behalf of member sectors.
Several large corporate members, including Absa and Tsogo Sun, also channel small businesses from their own enterprise and supplier development programmes into Proudly SA membership at no cost to the SMME.
How do I apply?
Email [email protected] and you will be directed to a membership consultant, who will confirm your eligibility and fee bracket before signing you up.
Frequently asked questions
Does Proudly SA support early-stage or pre-revenue startups?
No. Membership is aimed at businesses that are already trading and can demonstrate local content and quality, rather than businesses still in the idea or incubation stage.
How much does Proudly SA membership cost?
Fees scale with turnover, starting at R500 (excluding VAT) a year for smaller businesses, with most current members paying R500 or R1,000 annually. Confirm your specific bracket with Proudly SA directly.
What counts as “local content” for membership purposes?
In practice, at least 50% of a product’s production cost needs to be incurred in South Africa, alongside proof of quality certification and compliance with labour and environmental law.
Can service businesses join, or only manufacturers?
Both. Proudly SA accepts manufacturers and service providers from any industry or sector, provided they meet the local content and quality criteria.
Building your local credibility
For an SME that already meets the bar on local content and quality, Proudly SA membership is a low-cost way to add a recognised local-content mark to your brand and plug into a wider buy-local network. Confirm current fees and criteria directly with Proudly SA before applying.
Originally published in January 2020. Updated September 2026 to confirm Proudly SA’s current membership fees, criteria and application process. Membership terms can change, so confirm current details directly with Proudly SA before applying.
