The footwear industry in South Africa manufactures a wide range of products including safety and protective footwear, gumboots (Wellingtons), men and women’s formal and casual footwear, school shoes, slippers, sandals, ballet shoes and children’s shoes.
This range of footwear covers different construction types, from welted to stuck on to injection moulded. Various international as well as local brands are included in the product mix.
South Africa plays a leading role in the design of footwear for children by ensuring that the Podiatry Association of South Africa endorses products. This is the result of innovative research that has been conducted and applied to the design and construction of footwear, particularly for school shoes. This is an innovation that is being adopted in various international countries.
SAFLEC represents and promotes both suppliers and manufacturers to a total of 122 member companies in the footwear industry. The industry is spread over the major centres in South Africa with the main concentration being in KwaZulu Natal (primarily Durban and Pietermaritzburg) and in the Western Cape (Cape Town).
