In each province, the road show will kick off with a business forum, followed by mall promotions, expos and meetings with stokvel groups, church bodies, community organisations and schools. The road shows will run from 11 May 2012 to March 2013. The road shows start in Mpumalanga on Friday 11 May 2012. A business forum will be held on Friday evening at 6pm at the White River Lodge. Entry is free and seating is limited.

The first mall activation will take place at the Ilanga Mall in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga this weekend. Well-known South African dancer and entertainer, "Somizi" will introduce South Africans to the newly choreographed "Proudly SA Makoya Mnzansi dance" on Saturday and Sunday from 9am.

Members of the public are encouraged to take part in the planned road show activities around the country. Local manufacturers will be on hand to showcase their locally produced products and services at the malls. There will also be local song and dance performances at the malls, along with competitions and giveaways.

Other dates and provinces for the Proudly SA mall activations with "Somizi" include:

·    19-20 May Cape Town (Cape Gate Mall)

·    26-27 May Durban (Gateway Mall)

·    23-24 June Johannesburg (Maponya Mall)

·    13-14 October Kimberley (Diamond Route Mall)

·    20-21 October Upington (Upington Mall)

·    17-18 November East London (Main Mall)

Proudly SA seeks to strongly influence procurement in public and private sectors, to increase local production and stimulate job creation. This is in line with government's plans to revive the economy so that five million jobs can be created and unemployment can be decreased to 15% over the next 10 years under the New Growth Path.

Proudly SA will also focus on educating consumers about the "country of origin label". Consumers need to look for the label on each product and ensure their first choice is to buy local.

The Proudly SA Campaign fits hand-in-glove with the broader national developmental agenda and the recently signed Local Procurement Accord. The Accord is a pact that seeks to boost local industry and create more jobs through localised procurement. It was signed in October 2011 by government, business, labour unions and community bodies. These role players have committed themselves to increasing the number of goods and services bought locally to 75%.