The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) has announced finalists for the 2020 Furniture Design Competition.
The winners will be announced by the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ms Nomalungelo Gina at the Buy Local Summit and Exhibition on 10 March 2021. There are five finalists each in the Students and Established Manufacturers categories.
The theme of this 7th edition of the annual competition, which the dtic is presenting in partnership with Proudly South Africa, the South African Furniture Initiative, Coricraft Furniture, Mecad Solidworks, Furntech Centre of Excellence, Lewis Stores, the African Institute of Interior Designers and Tsogo Sun Hotels is “This is mine and these are ours”.
Entrants were requested to design furniture for four young newly-employed people who have come together to rent a modest apartment. With minimal, budget the designers were required to design a range of multipurpose and functional furniture, that is modular and can be purchased as budgets allow.
According to Deputy Minister Gina, the competition plays an important role in encouraging participation in the furniture industry, and promoting the use of design to respond to changing living space, and the use of locally manufactured inputs.
“The competition is part of our efforts to raise and nurture design capabilities in the country, raise the image of the furniture manufacturing industry in South Africa, and to grow the industry’s competitiveness by encouraging new product design and differentiation.
“The furniture industry is an important sector in the South African economy. It has a potential to contribute to the reduction of unemployment, increase of exports and development of the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME),” says Gina.
She adds that design can also play a significant role in the industry’s development and beneficiation of raw materials and it is thus far possible to position the local industry as the producer of high value niche furniture products that are globally competitive.
2020 Furniture Design Competition Finalists
| STUDENTS CATEGORY | MANUFACTURERS CATEGORY |
| Mikhayla Peterson, Amu Munakhi & Michal Shushan University of Johannesburg | Chris Fouché Karwei Industries, Cape Town |
| Benedikt Johannes Tshwane University of Technology | Ian Perry Homewood, KwaZulu Natal |
| Natalie Selibas, Dennis Xavier, Anthony Abbotts University of Johannesburg | Peet van Straaten Raw Studio, Pretoria |
| Simoné Pretorius Potch Academy | Korrie Broos Caneworld, Cape Town |
| Katlego Madumo & James Fowler University of Johannesburg | Sandile Nkosi Protovate – Johannesburg |