S&V African Leather Magazine Vol17 No6 June 2023
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Upfront
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
05 Furniture Leather
- Hannitan’s Atlantis plant to be called… Hannitan Atlantis.
- Leather furniture market “not as bad as you might think”, says Hugo Zuanni of Leather Link.
- But there’s still a casualty as Bravo Brands closes factory.
- Sheep skin processor would like to access more skins.
07 An Eclectic View
- Biogenic leather. Plastics – including ‘vegan leather’ – have handed leather a free pass to win hearts and minds in the battle to curtail old, bad, carbon, writes H. Procter.
09 Sustainability
- Adapting to a changing world: Report from Sustainable Leather Foundation MD Deborah Taylor.
10 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
11 Agriculture
- Government grants for renewable energy can ease the burden of CESAR and the Department of Labour’s crackdown on South African farmers, writes Viren Sookhun, Managing Director of Oxyon People Solutions.
- No respite for farmers as debt servicing costs escalate following another 50-basis points hike, writes Paul Makube of FNB.
- Nampo is not just an event, it contributes to the success of agriculture, writes Dawie Maree of FNB.
13 Trade Statistics
- SA hides, skins and leather trade statistics for April 2023, issued by SARS.
Advertisers in this Issue
APLF (OFC), Authenticae (02), Evolution Engineering (01), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (02), Mimosa (04), Rolfes Leather Division (06), S&V Calendar (14), S&V Directory (10), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (08), Sustainable Leather Foundation (03).
The Next Issue
- The July issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 07 July. The deadline for contributions is 30 June.
- BIOGENIC LEATHER
Plastics – including ‘vegan leather’ – have handed leather a free pass to win hearts and minds in the battle to curtail old, bad, carbon. ...moreSustainability: Adapting to a changing world
On 15 and 16 May, Northampton University held its inaugural Sustainability Summit with the central theme of “Adapting to a changing world – addressing our shared sustainability challenges”.The 2-day event, which was held at the University’s Waterside Campus, brought together representatives from local, national and ...moreGovernment grants for renewable energy can ease the burden of CESAR and the Department of Labour’s crackdown on South African farmers
Alberton, Gauteng, SA (01 June 2023) - Until recently, the agricultural sector of South Africa had a lower prescribed minimum wage than the National Minimum Wage (NMW), which was gradually increased to align with the National Minimum Wage. Now, agricultural workers qualify for the national minimum wage rate of R25.42 per hour, which means ...moreNo respite for farmers as debt servicing costs escalate following another 50-basis points hikeJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA (26 May 2023) – The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) announced another 50-basis points interest rate hike thus bringing the repurchase rate to over a decade high of 8.25%. The prime rate thus moved higher by 0.50% effective from the 26th of May 2023.Unrepentant inflationary pressures emanating from elevat ...moreNampo is not just an event, it contributes to the success of agricultureJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA (29 May 2023) – Some people might think the agricultural industry is a struggling industry when you listen to commentary on public platforms. However, when you visit an event like Nampo, one gets another view – a much more positive view. The official numbers, as reported by Stats SA, still show that t ...moreSA hides, skins and leather trade statistics for April 2023Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (31 May 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (73 218 433)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.95Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm 51 852 637Ratio (exports/imports) 1.15ExportsMonth % of total 0.24Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 1 296 194 167Cumulative 2023 (R'm ...moreFurniture leather: Hannitan’s Atlantis plant to be called…Hannitan AtlantisSprings, Gauteng, SA – Further to the article in the 05 June issue of the S&V Weekly Newsletter, Hannitan’s new crusting plant, which is planned to open in Atlantis, outside Cape Town, in August, will trade as Hannitan Atlantis.Hannitan makes mainly leather for furniture upholstery.It will process around 1 000 wet blu ...moreLeather furniture market: ‘Not as bad as you might think’Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – “The question is: If a consumer has R50 000 to spend right now, will he spend it on a leather suite or on an inverter? It’s something of a no-brainer,” said Leather Link’s Hugo Zuanni, in response to a query on the state of the leather furniture market.Leather Link is an agent, i ...moreFurniture leather: But there’s still a casualtyVerulam, KZN, SA – Bravo Brands is in the process of closing Grafton Everest, in Verulam, 1 of its 3 furniture manufacturing plants.Its other furniture manufacturing divisions are Alpine Furniture in Stellenbosch, W. Cape, and GommaGomma in Isithebe, KZN.The Grafton factory made fabric and leather upholstered furniture, as does Alpi ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- City of Cape Town backs AllFashion Sourcing as it seeks to grow CTFL sector
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – AllFashion Sourcing Cape Town 2026 returns to Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC 2) from 14–16 July 2026, marking a significant milestone as the City of Cape Town joins as a key partner in advancing Africa’s fashion, textile and apparel sector.This partnership signals a shared visio ...moreObituary: Joe McGinley, Conshu (14/04/1936-20/05/2026) He ran an empire, but kept a human touch
Somerset West, W. Cape, SA – Joseph Pascal McGinley, the former Conshu director who died in May, a month after his 90th birthday, was a larger-than-life character who was renowned during his career in SA for his kindness, and who lived life to the full.Born in Letterkenny, Donegal, Ireland, to Joseph and Madeline McGinley, both doct ...more‘Growth in online gambling may be big factor in siphoning off disposable income’East London, E. Cape, SA – Trading conditions are constrained and steady. We need to focus on good quality products at reasonable prices / value. We are optimistic about the direction of the overall economy in RSA.As a wise man once said regarding growing a business: “Sometimes you have to move slowly to be able to move fast.& ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Mobilising Africa’s natural livestock resource to reinvigorate the regional leather value chain
Africa possesses one of the world’s largest livestock populations, yet the continent captures only a fraction of the value generated from leather and leather-based products. From cattle in the East and South Africa, to goats and sheep across North Africa, the continent’s abundant livestock resource represents not only a source ...moreRwanda’s planned leather park movedRwanda’s planned tannery park has been moved from Bugesera District to Gicumbi District, according to several reports. It’s expected to be completed by 2029. The project was first announced in 2024. ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': Congratulations!Congratulations and compliments to UNIC and COTANCE for the huge job they have done together with LCHA, AHSLEA, Beef & Lamb New Zealand, TDSD, CICB, ALLPI, ICT, ICHSLTA, ICEC and SLF as well as many others by convincing the EU to scrap bovine hides from the EUDR directive. A long and tiring process which has cost them lots of time and ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Biodegradable disposable gloves ‘a growing trend’ in PPE
The poster is available to download in English in both PNG and PDF formats hereCompostable and biodegradable PPE are said to be rapidly growing trends internationally, lead by brands like Showa and HaPPE Earth.The nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH in Hürth, Germany, has published an updated versio ...morePremier Workwear: Engineered protection for Africa’s industrial workforce
In high-risk industrial environments, protective clothing is far more than a uniform requirement — it is a critical component of workplace safety, operational reliability and regulatory compliance. For procurement professionals, safety managers and operational leaders, selecting the right supplier means finding a partner capable of ...moreThe legal ramifications: PPE and the law: Ignore at your peril?
There’s no shortage of legislation covering employee safety in South Africa, but as in so much else, the enforcement is poor.In terms of our laws, the death of an employee (or anyone else) in a work situation, caused by negligence, is treated as culpable homicide. An injury caused by negligence is also a criminal act – that, b ...more
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