EFF Demands Accountability Over Gayton McKenzie’s Meeting With SHEIN in Singapore

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has written to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, chaired by Mr. Mzwandile Masina, raising strong concerns over Minister Gayton McKenzie’s engagement with global fashion retailer SHEIN in Singapore.

In a detailed letter, the EFF questioned the legality, purpose, and implications of the meeting held on 6 October 2025 during the South Africa Focus Week, warning that such engagements could undermine the country’s local textile and small business sectors.

READ: Gayton McKenzie Faces Backlash After Meeting SHEIN Executives in Singapore |

The party expressed alarm that McKenzie’s discussions — reportedly covering market access, manufacturing partnerships, and investment frameworks — ventured into areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the Department of Small Business Development, not the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture which McKenzie heads.

“The EFF is concerned that this meeting appears to have ventured into areas that fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the Department of Small Business Development,” the letter reads.

The EFF’s statement, signed by MP Sinawo Thambo, calls for the urgent convening of a joint portfolio committee meeting to ensure transparency and accountability. The party also demanded:

1. A full account of the meeting’s agenda, participants, and outcomes.
2. Clarification of McKenzie’s legal and administrative authority to hold such talks.
3. An assessment of whether the Ministry of Trade and Industry was consulted beforehand.
4. An evaluation of whether the engagement aligns with South Africa’s industrial and small business development strategies.

The letter further warns that partnerships with multinational fast-fashion corporations like SHEIN — accused of flooding markets with cheap imports — could undermine South Africa’s domestic manufacturing capacity and displace small local entrepreneurs.

“South Africa’s manufacturing industries cannot afford to be undermined by uncoordinated ministerial actions or poorly regulated foreign partnerships,” the EFF wrote.

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The party’s intervention follows public backlash against McKenzie’s meeting with SHEIN executives, with critics accusing the minister of “betraying” South Africa’s struggling local fashion industry.

The EFF insists that all engagements of this nature must align with the national agenda for small business empowerment and protect local producers from unfair foreign competition.