Durban, KZN, SA – The exhibitor list at the Comrades Expo, from 11-13 June, has shown an evolution in the types of companies exhibiting. Just 1 running footwear supplier, Ikhambi Distribution, promoting its Hoka brand, was there.Technical sock suppliers, however, were well represented, with Balega, Falke, Sox Footwear and The Hirst ...more

For over a decade, the ILO and other such bodies have been pushing this whole notion of "Zero Harm", "Road to Zero" and other such catchy titles, all pushing the idea most probably backed by one-sided research that "Zero Harm" is the only way and can be achieved if you work hard enough.My problem with this id ...more

Dakar, Senegal (17 March 2026) – The Basketball Africa League (BAL) (https://BAL.NBA.com) and Puma, have announced a multiyear collaboration which will begin with the 2026 BAL season that tips off on Friday, 27 March 27 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa. Puma will supply all official BAL team, fan and referee apparel, in ...more

The EFLC panel discussions and networking dinner on 19 February included chain retail, manufacturing, and union representatives, municipal, provincial and national government officials, a successful exporter, a representative from Amazon South Africa speaking about potential for local suppliers, and the MD of Messe Frankfurt SA speaking a ...more

Durban, KZN, SA – Berzack Brothers (Pty) Ltd has appointed Michael Ball as GM of its Coats division following the retirement of Ashley Naidoo at the end of December.  ...more

SV Q&A With David Cohen, CEO of Superbalist Group of CompaniesQ. Please confirm the acquisition, including when it took place.A. We recently acquired The Athlete’s Foot South Africa in September 2025; we’re really excited about it. It’s a strong, well-loved brand and it fits into what we’re building across the ...more

Louis Trichardt, Limpopo, SA – I do think their drop in business is because they have sidelined all the independents. After all, it was the independents that grew the brand, not the chain groups. With this being said, all other companies have taken advantage and grown to another level. One of those is Puma which has grown so much an ...more

New Balance, the footwear and apparel brand, has expanded its global presence with the opening of four stores in Cambodia. The management of these stores falls under MAP Active Cambodia, a sports and lifestyle brand importer and distributor, as reported by The Phnom Penh Post.Strategic Partnership with MAP Active CambodiaNew Balance& ...more

Blantyre, Malawi – My father, Mussa Hajat, passed away in the early hours on Monday 22 January 2024, aged 90.He was still fully active and working up until Christmas.He was affectionately known as Mussa Footwear and was a true giant in the footwear scene in this country ever since he left Bata and established his own business in 196 ...more

Idris Pandor, director, The Gem Group of CompaniesDurban, KZN, SA - Sales are up by approximately 15% to 20% over last year, although I have heard of a higher increase in the market place.      Issues with procurement? Proper planning, like ordering/purchasing 6 to 9 months in advance, makes a HUGE difference ...more

Iqbal Hajat, Director, Footwear Centre Ltd, in Blantyre, Malawi, answers our questions.Month-by-month, how trading this year has compared with last year AND pre-covid.Generally, we are seeing approximately 20% increase in sales value over last year, but this does not mean we are doing a higher volume of sales; rather it could be due to th ...more

Project Dyad, Leather goods manufacturer, was co-founded by Jessika Balzer and Vincent Urbain. In this issue, Jessika answers our questions. ...more

Himo Town/Area Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania - The response from Leather Association of Tanzania executive secretary Freddy Silvester Kabala to our questions for the feature on sheep and goat skins leathers in the last issue arrived too late for inclusion. Here are his answers: ...more

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (December 03, 2020) - Global NCAP and AA South Africa released their report on crash test results for 3 vehicles, the fourth round of their #SaferCarsForAfrica programme, which is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the FIA Foundation. According to the report: The three models tested, the Steed 5 pick-up fr ...more