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S&V African Leather Magazine Vol11 No3 March 2017


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IN THIS ISSUE:

Sector Reports
Feedlots
SA agriculture needs to unite to fight antimicrobial resistance, says Minister.
Slaughter drops more than expected, reports Karan Beef’s Arnold Pretorius.

Hides & skins
Hide prices where they should be, says CPC’s Benjy Lapiner.
Small increase in sheepskin supply, demand steady, says African Hide Trading’s Steven Broughton.

Merino
Exports only way forward, but raw material prices too high, says African Merino Trading’s Simo Simov.

Ostrich
SCOT Doing an about-face on China, says Frik Kriek.
Production must match demand, says Mosstrich MD Francois de Wet.
Ostrich industry needs a different business model, says OPSA’s Saag Jonker.

Footwear
Demand down, supply down further, says Midland Leather’s Rudie Nieuwoudt.

Game
Wildlife Ranching SA ‘commits to transformation’, says Adri Kitshoff-Botha.

Leather Research Institute
DTI ‘has created the environment to support an LRI’, assessment finds.

Opinion – The role of masking agents in pickling
From columnist H. Procter.

Technology
Clean processing technology and sustainable production in the tanning industry Reducing Salt in Tannery Wastewater – Part 10, from Dr Clive Jackson-Moss.

Some hide and leather specifications
Compiled by the ISTT.

Companies
Ecco Leather launches translucent leather.
Pension fund head joins Zambeef board.

Fairs and Congresses
ACLE to coincide with World Leather Congress.
Chinese crackdown on polluting industries ‘will be good for exports’.
Designers return to leather as prices drop.
The ‘Leather Revolution’ – how the industry will respond.

Textiles
China refines its cotton policy – report from ICAC.


Advertisers in this Issue
DyStar Boehme Africa (2), Exotic Leather SA (12), ISTT (11), Lanxess (4), Mimosa Extract Co (10), Rolfes Chemicals (OFC), SCOT (6), Tholanizikhumba Trading (7).

  • Exports only way forward, but raw material prices remain too high
    Bronkhorstspruit, SA – Last year was our worst year since we first opened in 2003. Our normal turnover would be about R30 million per year. In 2015 that dropped to R10 million, and last year to under R1 million. Essentially the export market is closed to us for several reasons:* Russia doesn’t have the money.* Turkey still imp ...more
  • Doing an about-face on China
    An interview with South Cape Ostrich Tanning (SCOT) marketing director Frik Kriek. Ostrich has to find new markets – and there are some. Potential markets often have tariff barriers. Customers call for new looks, but buy the tried and trusted finishes ...more
  • Production must match demand
    An interview with Mosstrich MD Francois de Wet. Ostrich is a small global player with a unique niche. Pressure to slaughter younger, but there are problems. European demand for fresh Meat is softer than expected ...more
  • Ostrich industry needs a different business model
    An interview with Saag Jonker, founder of Ostrich Products South Africa (OPSA) as part of the Saag Jonker Group of Companies. The ostrich industry needs greater unity. Farmers need a greater share. Let’s be more realistic about grading ...more
  • SA needs to aim at agreeing to implement strategies that will ensure that AMR is limited and reduced.
    Presentation by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana, at the Red Meat Industry Workshop on March 16 ...more
  • Slaughter drops more than expected
    Johannesburg, SA – The reduction in cattle slaughter seems to be more than the 8% I predicted in January.For February and March the reduction was 20%.My forecast for April is to be down by 13% and I would think that May will also be down by the same percentage.From June onwards I would think that the situation would return to about ...more
  • Hide prices where they should be.
    Port Elizabeth, SA – The volatility of the Rand is always a factor. When it was at R12.30 to the Dollar, we were definitely paying too much for hides. At R13,20, hide prices are back where they should be.Hides are less price sensitive than skins for us because there is a big local market with the automotive industry whereas all skin ...more
  • WRSA commits to transformation
    The Wildlife Ranching industry is committed to play a leading role in the transformation of South Africa's agriculture industry. WRSA is committed to work with government to turn million hectares of land into black-owned game reserves that will contribute meaningfully to South Africa's transformation and conservation goals. &nbs ...more

Footwear Industry Articles

  • Manufacturer-buyer event: Among the retailer comments
    Kim Cunniffe, Kingsmead ShoesOur buyers found some suppliers they were unaware of, and a few possibilities in terms of product. We haven’t yet taken this forward, but we will do so.Hassen Ismail, Fashion WorldIt was more-or-less what you expect of local manufacturing in terms of styling, quality, and price.We have asked for samples. ...more
  • How FootJoy’s superbly crafted shoes influenced my life
    An Informative & Nostalgic Letter written in April 2025 to two executives at Acushnet (USA) – A leading golf corporation which includes FootJoy Shoes.RE: FootJoy & II recall the very first pair of FootJoy golf shoes my late father bought for me in July 1976. This wasn’t my first interaction with the brand that I had al ...more
  • The showroom pair is not the order
    A shoe on a showroom table is wonderfully persuasive. A buyer can flex the forefoot, press the heel counter, check the stitching, compare the two shoes and turn the pair over to examine the sole. Colour, finish and hand feel are all there to judge.The purchase order may then reduce that pair to a short line: one style number, one colour d ...more
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Leather Industry Articles

  • Zimbabwe Leather Development Council lobbies for Government contracts
    The Zimbabwe Leather Development Council (ZLDC) is lobbying policymakers to open up public procurement contracts to local leather manufacturers, arguing that Government contracts are essential to reviving the country’s struggling leather value chain.Speaking on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo (ZIC ...more
  • Nigeria’s Leather Industry: Not a clear picture
    Nigeria is widely accepted as having a very large livestock population, but a relatively small tanning industry, much of it concentrated in Kano, producing high grade goat- and sheepskin crust which is exported for finishing elsewhere for use in garments.Recent articles cast some doubt on this, so are Nigeria’s hides and skins: M ...more
  • Beyond the data trap: Why better decisions matter more than just more data
    On 1st July 2026 I presented at the FILK Leather Days conference and asked the delegates to consider “Sustainability through a new lens: resetting how we view impacts in the leather value chain”. This month’s article therefore explores this idea a little more with a focus on how we view data and whether it can blind us t ...more
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PPE Industry Articles

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