The journey of BanziFeet began in 2015 with research to compare the foot measurements of German and South African children and adolescents. Research revealed significant differences in foot shape and size between the 2 groups. It also found that 91% of South African participants grew up habitually barefoot, and 67% of their school shoes w ...more

Oudtshoorn, W. Cape, SA – Newald Groenewald rejoined Ostrich Products SA (OPSA) in September as tannery manager.He started at the then Klein Karoo International in 1991 before joining OPSA as tannery manager in 2015. He joined Le Croc as tannery manager in 2021, and left there earlier this year.  ...more

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – It’s a complicated leather dynasty covering 2 generations and 6 family members (so far), mixed heritages, and 4 varied businesses which have 2 things in common – they use leather, and they rely on design creativity to produce saleable products.Tiziano Gottardo and his son from his third marriage, ...more

Mossel Bay, W. Cape, SA – We are now nearly 5 years down the line, since the KKI and Mosstrich/SCOT merger. The new name Cape Karoo International (CKI) is now well known among all international and local buyers of ostrich leather. Our clients across the globe also have switched now to “CKI” as the new brand, understandin ...more

TLU SA had positive and constructive discussions with the new Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, on Tuesday morning.TLU SA attended the meeting this morning alongside other organisations where the main challenges in the agricultural industry were discussed. Steenhuisen welcomed the representatives and immediately addressed four ke ...more

Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA – Wattle extract producer NTE Company, already under pressure because of global demand, says it is getting calls from customers of Brazilian extract producer Tanac S.A. following floods which have put its plant out of commission.“Tanac is a diversified business,” said NTE GM Nigel Payne, “ ...more

Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA – We had a very successful APLF and were busy on all 3 days. We use these fairs to fly the NTE flag but also to meet many of our agents from the region as travel in and out of Hong Kong is very convenient for them. Some don’t attend ACLE in Shanghai as they see it as a Chinese fair and travelling ther ...more

The Chairman of the Sustainable Use Coalition (SUCo-SA), Pieter Swart, attended various local and international events recently. He says this report on the state of the wildlife Industry “is a mixture of hope and concern”. ...more

It’s an increasingly surveilled world – now Big Brother can keep an eye on staff not complying with PPE rules. ...more

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 ...more

I've stumbled upon something rather intriguing. It appears that Stella International, Hong Kong, is the manufacturer behind the scenes for several well-known footwear brands. The extent of their involvement in the industry is truly impressive, and I had no prior knowledge of this. ...more

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – In loving memory of my dad, Michele Di Lembo, born on August 17, 1939, in Campolieto, Italy, and who peacefully departed on 1st August 2023. He ventured to South Africa in 1961, as a highly skilled shoe creator and cobbler, and worked as the factory manager at an Italian factory, Curtolo Shoes. He did not ...more

African Leather: Was CKI looking for anything specific, and if so, what were you looking for?CKI combined Tanning Tech with a visit to Sante Croce suppliers and tanneries to determine what technologies and practices are available to improve finishing techniques.African Leather: Were there any developments which caught your attention, what ...more

Tanning Tech 2023 proved a busy time for the NTE Team exhibiting, especially on the first 2 days with day 3 as expected being less busy with only a few visitors on the stand. The visits were mainly from agents and customers where in depth discussions were held on market conditions and the current challenges facing the demand and supply of ...more

Recognizing authenticity and ensuring traceability: Origify increases level of security for a wide range of products Stuttgart, Germany (31 August 2023) – Almost the entire European economy is affected by counterfeiting. Besides luxury goods, the problem affects many other sectors and industries: High-value, high-priced pr ...more

Mossel Bay, W. Cape, SA – Overall, we are very satisfied with the situation where ostrich leather is today. Overall demand globally is fairly strong, and at fair prices.There is quite a strong demand, especially from fashion houses in Europe and specifically the top end fashion houses. This demand didn’t go down during good co ...more

Some photos from the recent KZN Industrial Technology Exhibition that was held from 18-20 July 2023 in Durban, KZN, South Africa ...more

Microban International – which develops antimicrobial technology, odour control and surface disinfection solutions – has brought novel metal-free technologies with more friendly toxicity profiles to market.Its latest solutions include: LapisShield, which offers easy to incorporate antimicrobial functionality for water-based ...more

Friday, 16 June, is SA’s last public holiday until August, and a long weekend to boot. We asked an assortment of retailers whether they anticipated an upswing in trade and whether they had made any special preparations. Anca Facauaru, proprietor, Anca ShoesKempton Park, Gauteng, SA - Things are very quiet, with people not having mon ...more

Michael Wyatt, country manager, Bata SAPinetown, KZN, SA - We will only know the outcome of retail BTS sell out in February - January is too early to tell. But as a manufacturer and wholesaler we saw double digit growth vs. 2021 for full year sales, so another successful year for our brands.  Jannie Vermeulen, Ekspa Fabrikante/Adno's ...more

Press releasePretoria, Gauteng, SA (21 December 2022) – Customs officers of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have seized possible counterfeit shoes (sneakers and sandals) with an estimated value of R3-milliion this past weekend.      The Customs Detector Dog Unit (DDU) at the Lebombo border ...more

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA - The move to direct-to-consumer sales by global brands "leaves the door wide open for us", says Gary van Rooyen, who last year agreed a licensing deal with Bolton Footwear to take over the Olympic International sports footwear brand.  "I find it sad that solid independent retailers who helped Ni ...more

Mossel Bay, W. Cape, SA - We pay tribute to a legend in the ostrich industry and the ‘father’ of the SCOT tannery, Pieter Yzelle, who sadly passed away on 11 November 2021. The tannery is a monument to Pieter’s technical and managerial ability as well as his tenacity to reach his goals. ...more

Bloemfontein, Free State – Gavin Frances, director of 7-store men's outfitter Valortrade 150 (Pty) Ltd, t/a Madison's and B&B Trading, said it has been "a much better Christmas" than last year.      "Black Friday this year was poor, and I think it was the same for most retailers ...more

Dangee Carken: Perhaps this will be the catalyst for changeRobby Stoller, MD. Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA- Retailing is restricted to winter footwear. Do you have stock which you believe would qualify?Of course we qualify. We have brought in boots and closed footwear for the winter season. Most of our stock has been delivered to the trade a ...more

Muhammad Ismail, director, American ShopPretoria, SA – I’d say our turnover is on par with last year. We service the lower end of the market and the main factors affecting our consumers are unemployment and inflation. We sell mostly brands, and we are also very badly affected by counterfeits – they sell ‘Nike&rsquo ...more