The rhythm and beat to my alltimefavourite Freddie Mercury,song title, masterpiece is amemory I treasure. I rememberwhen I first heard the original, andthe lyrics are something we can stillrelate to today.This is very true for our ownindustry at the moment. Paint retailsales are flat, speak to suppliers theywill confirm sales are indeed flat, andyou then look at the numerous issueswe are facing it the picture is bleak. Inthis issue alone, Deryck Spence fromSAPMA urges government to takeaction over potential dubious spraypaint being dumped in the country.The World Health Organisation(WHO) is concerned about thelead quantities in decorative paint.Raw material suppliers and paintmanufacturers, including retailers areconcerned about the health of thecoatings manufacturing sector.

Ourgovernment isnot doing enoughto protect anindustry creatingthousands ofjobs. As in thesong, we need topush back andstart protectingour industry. You mustargue against your sectorbecoming a dumping groundfor cheap inferior products.Protect your work force.A united paint coatingssector speaking with onevoice to safeguard the industryis a move in the right directionto ensure long-term solutions andgrowth. So let’s participatein industry discussions andjoin together for the benefit ofour industry.