S&V African Leather Magazine Vol18 No1 January 2024
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IN THIS ISSUE:
02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
04 Upfront
- Hides, skins and semi-processed leathers: Starting with a positive mindset, says Cape Produce Company director Greg Feinberg.
- Exotics: Ostrich leather and feathers are benefitting from strong relationship with brands, says SA Ostrich Business Chamber CEO Piet Kleyn.
- Education: Industry members against the decision to shut down the Institute for Creative Leather Technologies at the University of Northampton are planning a meeting, writes SATRA assistance director Dr Christine Anscombe.
08 Load Shedding
- Mossop Leather has overcome load shedding, and other tanneries are following similar paths.
11 An Eclectic View
- Non-fossil dyes – a look at the alternatives, by H. Procter.
12 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
13 Sustainability
- Successful audits for Namibian tanneries, and plans for more projects in Africa – by Sustainable Leather Foundation MD Deborah Taylor.
- Synthetic wigs, weaves and extensions given new life in a new project by Alisam Products Development founder Newton Owino.
17 Notice Board
- Obituary for former Boehme Africa MD and CEO Dietmar Theilig.
20 Trade Statistics
- South African hides, skins and leather exports and imports for November 2023, compiled by SA Revenue Services.
Advertisers in this Issue
APLF (03), Authenticae (05), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (07), Mimosa (10), Rolfes Leather Division (OFC), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (15), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (09), Sustainable Leather Foundation (02).
The Next Issue
- The February issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 14 February. The deadline for contributions is 7 February.
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- Ostrich leather and feathers benefit from strong relationships with brands
Oudtshoorn, W. Cape, SA – The South African ostrich industry has had a sustained 2-year period of mostly good news, much of it due to its own diligence, according to SA Ostrich Business Chamber (SAOBC) CEO Piet Kleyn.“Post-covid, we’re in a better state than we’ve been for some years,” he said.Leather and fea ...moreMossop Leather has overcome load shedding, and other tanneries are following similar paths
Columnist H. Procter wrote about solar power in the November issue, noting that it could both address sustainability issues and free tanneries from load shedding.“I had a call with Mossop Leather MD Gert Kruger after we published that article,” he wrote. “He told me it was possible to get all electricity needs with some ...moreSuccessful Audits for Namibian Tanneries
Last year SLF was awarded a contract to work in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, under the Joint Action Support towards Industrialisation and Productive Section (SIPS). Under the contract SLF implemented a 5 step programme to support the tanneries in the region with training and audit certification to meet interna ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourAs a new year gift, Sam Setter has again given us TWO pills for this issue.I am flabbergasted to read in the November newsletter of Leather Naturally that it is ‘difficult due to global unrest and tension to remain mindful of the important role that we can play in helping to preserve our planet’, and ‘our minds here at L ...moreHides, skins and semi-processed leathers : Starting with a positive mindsetHow has the closure of Midland Tannery affected your business? The tannery operated in very different markets to ourselves; as such there haven't been any significant effects.Do you expect domestic demand for wet blue hides to grow or drop this year? We always hope to see growth in the local market, it’s a key part of our business; ...morePush back against University of Northampton’s plan to scrap leather education : Meeting planned for 24 JanuaryKettering, UK – As you are probably aware the future of leather education in the UK and globally is under severe threat with the recent announcement by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Northampton of her intention to close the Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) – see letter below that we received at SAT ...moreNON-FOSSIL DYESA dyestuff is usually an organic molecule that absorbs light and then emits that light at a frequency that is detectable to the human eye. In other words, it emits light in the visual light spectrum - this is why people say they are coloured. Technically, a dyestuff can be uncoloured, and it is called coloured because it emits light in th ...moreSynthetic wigs, weaves and extensions given new life in KenyaKenyan entrepreneur, tanner and industrial chemist Newton Owino, who founded and owns fish skin tannery and footwear/ leather goods manufacturer Alisam Products Development & Design, has been working on a project to recycle synthetic hair extensions and wigs. ...moreHe had the vision to start local production, and expand into Africa : Obituary: Dietmar Theilig - Boehme Africa (now DyStar Africa) (12/05/1938-30/11/2023)Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA – It is with sadness that we learnt of the passing of Dietmar Theilig, the former Managing Director of Boehme Africa.I met Dietmar 35 years ago when I was headhunted and appointed as a leather technician. At the time, Boehme Africa was a major role player in the textile and leather industries in Southern Af ...moreShort summary on the life history of Gerhard Dietmar Theilig : Obituary: Dietmar Theilig - Boehme Africa (now DyStar Africa) (12/05/1938-30/11/2023)Born 12th May 1938 in Leipzig-Moeckern. Confirmed on 10.05 1952 at Pfarramt Der Luthergemeinde, Crimmitschau. He had 1 sister, Ursula, who was 7 years younger than himself.His father was in the textile trade and supplied the wool fabric for the army winter coats, and they lived at the army barracks in Leipzig.His father was accused of ind ...moreSA hides, skins, and leather trade statistics for November 2023Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (29 December 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (557 867 005)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.88Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (91 683 982)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.82ExportsMonth % of total 0.23Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 3 794 ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Vermont sale completedJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – After 39 years, former owner Mandy Owen has sold her shares in Vermont Leathercraft Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd to Creek Lab (Pty) Ltd, and officially handed over the business to Prashant Bhaga.In a message on LinkedIn, she wrote: “I would like to thank my husband, Graham, for his invaluable contributio ...moreJulz Shoes launches men’s range
Sneaker and moccasin style samples from the men’s range.Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – Women’s leather comfort/lifestyle brand Julz Shoes has launched a men’s collection under the brand Will’s Shoes.Both ranges are “locally designed, made offshore”, GM Hayley Barker said.“Julz has built a loy ...moreLemaitre’s Robust Pro, ‘based on user feedback, is a gamechanger in safety footwear’
Lemaitre, a trusted leader in safety footwear, is proud to announce the launch of the New Robust Pro, a reimagined safety shoe designed to deliver unparalleled comfort, durability, and all-around protection for workers across industries. With the Robust Pro we set out to create a shoe that truly works as hard as the people who wear it by ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- OBLIQUITY
Shareholder value is usually the result of running a good business, not a reliable operational principle for running one ...moreLEATHER’S ELEMENTARY UNIT
Geoff Attenburrow’s PhD student David M. Wright worked on the behaviour of leather under strain (Attenburrow, 1993; Wright, 1996). They were the first to describe that leather had a “co-operating unit”, a set of structures within leather that helped the leather to resist breaking and to resist deformation at low strain.T ...moreNigeria’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
PPE Industry Articles
- China-made firefighting equipment now needs verification of conformity with SANS standardsPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Firefighting equipment is among the 25 product categories published on 01 April by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition for a mandatory Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) Programme.The system will require certain goods shipped from China to be tested and certified before they enter the ...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 ...moreThe PPE Conference – PPE isn’t optional, it’s essential: A review
Leighton Bennett, the Safety First Association chairperson and a SHE and risk management consultantThe hosts of this first PPE Conference held in South Africa, were the Safety First Association and SAPEMA, on the 10 and 11 March 2026, at the Emperor’s Palace, in Kempton Park.This conference objectives were to provide a unique opport ...more
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