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S&V African Leather Magazine Vol18 No5 May 2024

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IN THIS ISSUE:

02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.

03 Upfront
- Why leather factories in Jinja have closed: Report from Ugandan publication The Monitor shows how government interference in forcing beneficiation is killing Uganda’s leather industry.
- Leatherite: More competition for a smaller pie.
- Footwear: School shoes, niche areas okay, fashion struggling.
- Kenyan Government announces creation of jobs in the leather industry.

03 Training
- The debate – and heat – over he closure of ICL needs to end, and there are ways forward: A 3-way conversation between Dr Christine Anscombe, Dr Clive Jackson-Moss and Karl Flowers.

03 An Eclectic View
- Carbon Neutral: Correspondent H. Procter reports on changes to stop the corruption caused by carbon off-setting.

08 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- Africa continues to call, writes the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor, following a busy programme of auditing tanneries in Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with preliminary visits to others.
- ALLPI joins the SLF.
- Deborah Taylor elected as new vice-president of the SLTC.

13 Technology
- The Predator – a new concept in splitting. Alpe Spak explains the labour saving, safety and improved quality benefits of its new system.

17 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.

18 Notice Board
- Obituary: Ken Moakes, bon vivant, raconteur and fine leather technician.
- Recognition for long-serving SLTC secretary Pat Potter.



Advertisers in this Issue
All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) (07), Authenticae (05), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (09), Mimosa (12), Rolfes Leather Division (16), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (04), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (19), Stahl (OFC), Sustainable Leather Foundation (02).

The Next Issue
- The April issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 14 June. The deadline for contributions is 10 June.

  • Government announces creation of jobs in leather industry
    Narok Souh, Kenya (07 April 2024) – The government has announced creation of direct and indirect job opportunities in the leather industry in Narok County in the south rift.Making the disclosure at Ewaso Ngiro tannery in Narok South sub county, Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Devel ...more
  • Why leather factories in Jinja have closed
    Jinja, Uganda (Monday 06 May 2024) – Four leather factories in Jinja City have closed, leaving hundreds of former workers unemployed.The factories are SWT Leather Industries located on Mutibwa Road, Mehaka Leather Exim Smc Limited, Uganda Leather and Tannery Industries, Jinja, and Loyal Small-Scale Industries located on Nile Crescen ...more
  • The debate – and heat – over the closure of ICLT needs to end, and there are ways forward
    In a fascinating 3-way Teams discussion (4, but I was just an observer) last month between SATRA’s Dr Christine Anscombe, the ISTT’s Dr Clive Jackson-Moss and Authenticae’s Karl Flowers, the likely future of training in the tanning industry in Europe, and in countries which traditionally sent students to Europe, took som ...more
  • CARBON NEUTRAL
    In 2015, the international community signed a climate treaty called the Paris Climate Accords. 195 countries, including South Africa, signed the accord pledging to do everything in their governments’ powers to halt the increase in temperatures, and to in principle keep the total increase in average temperatures to less than 2ºC ...more
  • Africa continues to call…
    Strengthening Sustainability: The conclusion of the year-long project in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, under the Joint Action “Support towards Industrialization and the Productive Sectors” (SIPS). ...more
  • ALLPI Joins Sustainable Leather Foundation
    SLF is delighted to confirm that Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute has become a member which further enhances the commitment to supporting the African nations with sustainable development. ...more
  • Deborah Taylor elected as new Vice-President of the Society of Leather Technologists & Chemists (SLTC)
    On Saturday 27th April, during the SLTC Annual Conference and AGM, SLF’s Managing Director, Deborah Taylor, was officially elected as the incoming Vice-President of SLTC. ...more
  • The Predator: A new concept in splitting
    Arzignano, Vicenza, Italy – Alpe Spak’s new through-feed splitting machine system, the Predator, has been designed to reduce the number of specialised operators, improve worker safety, and improve the quality of the leather.It operates with a patented concept to split in green, lime and now also wet blue.It was developed from ...more
  • Obituary: Ken Moakes – Fredisco, TFL, Buckman, C.F. Stead, Thomas Ware (28/12/1944-22/04/2024): Bon vivant, raconteur, and fine leather technician
    Northampton, UK – Ken Moakes died in April, after a short time in hospital, aged 79, of cardiac and renal failure.To me, starting out with African Leather magazine, He was both advisor and friend. He and the late Barry Nash (and unnamed others) would send me a monthly gossip column on the leather trade – never malicious, but g ...more
  • Sam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humour
    "The world has become a crazy place. We are not thinking anymore autonomously but are influenced against our better knowledge about matters that are clear lies but we are induced to accept them as the truth. I looked it up and it’s called ‘double thinking’. People are told to live a sustainable bio-based life and ar ...more
  • Leatherite: More competition for a smaller pie
    Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – The leather crafting market has picked up, starting last October, but is still nowhere near as buoyant as before or immediately after covid, said Kevin Thompson, director of leather, trims and tools supplier Leatherite International.“Most of last year was a bit tough,” he said. “You can see ...more
  • Footwear: School shoes, niche areas okay, fashion struggling
    Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – On the fashion side local manufacturers in general are finding business quite tough. There are manufacturers operating in “niche” areas of the market that are doing quite well.On a more positive note, our school shoe manufacturers seem to be doing okay. On the industrial side we do not really ope ...more
  • Long overdue pat on the back for Pat
    Northampton, UK – I have just finished my time as a volunteer at the museum where Ken was a volunteer. Once again it has all been packed away only for some bits to occasionally be on show at the town museum and other places who are more interested than Northampton - makes me so cross!!I seem to keep busy. I am scanning SLTC back jou ...more

Footwear Industry Articles

  • Tshepo opens new store at Mall of Africa
    Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (02 June 2026) — South African fashion brand Tshepo has opened its second store at Mall of Africa.Tshepo, founded by Tshepo Mohlala in Victoria Yards 10 years ago, specialises in locally made denim jeans.“Victoria Yards remains central to Tshepo's identity, serving as the bran ...more
  • Lemaitre’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
  • Retail: ‘If you can’t make what’s needed, retail can’t sell what you make’
    “I have had a consistent message for manufacturers from when the Masterplan started,” said Michael Lawrence, executive director of the National Clothing Retail Federation (NCRF). “Bring us what can sell to consumers, and we’ll buy it. There are some caveats, of course, around issues like value, design, branding, su ...more
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Leather Industry Articles

  • SA’s 2025 automotive leather exports: Down on 2024, but still good, on the face of it
    Figures from NAAMSA’s Automotive Trade Manual 2026       Automotive components – exports by product      Component category 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 % of total export value Ran ...more
  • Sam Setter's 'Pills': Over and Again
    The EU announced that hides and skins could be removed from the EUDR directive's deforestation commodities. Could! Last month, like many others, I thought that the decision had been taken, but that doesn’t seem to be correct. The final decision will be taken after public feedback. Yeah, you read this right: after public feedback. As ...more
  • Sam Setter's 'Pills': Traceability
    The EU Commission is very much engaged in bringing traceability of our raw materials to the forefront of tannery management. But let’s reflect on this for a moment. In the industrial world traceability is a fact, and particularly where food is involved, traceability is a standard requirement for trading. This is firstly to ensure fo ...more
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PPE Industry Articles

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