Saiccor - The First 50 Years 5.8 MB - Sappi

Saiccor 

The First Fifty Years 

Sinclair Stone 

i

Copyright © 2002 by the author 

All rights reserved� No part of this publication may be reproduced or 

transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written 

permission of the publisher� 

ISBN 1 919780 52 1 

First edition, first impression 2002 

Published by Rollerbird Press 

An imprint of Troupant Publishers 

P�O� Box 3622 

Pinegowrie 2123 

e-mail bvr@iafrica�com 

Cover design by Sally Whines 

Typesetting by Lebone Publishing Services, Kempton Park 

Printed and bound by ABC Press, Cape Town 

Although Sappi has funded the publishing of this book, the conclusions 

and opinions expressed in this book are those of the author�

Foreword 

In the typical Sinclair Stone manner, this history of Saiccor has been 

thoroughly researched, is precise in its rendering and is, where 

necessary, blunt in its comments� 

While parts of the work are necessarily technically detailed, the 

work is largely the story of the people who have worked at Saiccor; 

and appropriately so, for it is the people associated with Saiccor who 

have made it what it is� 

Sinclair Stone stands front and centre of this host of good people, 

with his unwavering commitment to the business and his real 

affection for the disciples of Saiccor� 

It is fitting that this legacy has been given to us by the man who 

is, in himself, a legend at Saiccor, and it is with sincere gratitude that 

I acknowledge the work that Sinclair has put into this history, 

compiled on the eve of his retirement after thirty years with the 

Company� No one else could pretend to take on the task� 

Anyone aspiring to make a career at Saiccor, or wishing to 

understand what makes Saiccor tick, should read this book� 

ALAN TUBB 

Umkomaas 

April 2002 

iii

Preface 

Not only is the story of Saiccor an important part of South African 

industrial history, it is also a fascinating tale of enterprise and 

endeavour that deserves to be preserved for posterity� 

The pioneers of Saiccor have all died, but the legacy they created 

grew into a highly successful business which, as the twenty-first 

century approached, was the world leader in its field� 

It is the only South African company outside of the mining 

industry that has successfully survived for 50 years by exporting its 

entire production� It is also unique in the history of immigration, 

where a large number of people from a small area of Italy emigrated 

at the same time to a small area in South Africa� 

The secret of Saiccor’s success has been its people� During its first 

50 years some 10 000 people have been employed by Saiccor� In a 

story of this nature, it is only possible to mention a few of these 

employees� However, each and every one of the 10 000 people made 

a contribution to Saiccor’s success� 

Numerous outside companies and individuals have also worked 

for Saiccor from its inception, and they too have contributed to its 

success� 


March 2002 

iv

Contents 

References vi 

Acknowledgements vii 

1 The Cantacuzene period, 1952–1965 1 

2 The Yeomans period, 1966–1967 55 

3 The Wharton period, 1967–1970 63 

4 The Tainton period, 1971–1983 71 

5 The Dell period, 1983–1985 101 

6 The Campbell period, 1986–1987 119 

7 The Mackenzie period, 1987–1989 129 

8 The Mazery period, 1989–1996 141 

9 The Tubb period, 1996– 165 

v

References 

Aldred, F C, ‘SAICCOR – Where it started’, Paper Southern Africa, 

January 1982, reproduced in Sappi News-Nuus, September 1988� 

Bernstein, M, ‘The Story of Saiccor’, CBI Report SAI1323L2� 

Cantacuzene, M S, Trials and Tribulations of a Tumbleweed (privately 

published),1999� 

‘Flood Report’, July 1959� 

Hastie, W, Factory Report, April 1954� 

Hastie, W, Factory Report, June 1957� 

The Digester, 1995–2002� 

The Raypulp Recorder (Saiccor Magazine), Vol� 1 Nos 1, 2, 3 (1960); 

Vol� 2 Nos 1, 2, 3 (1961); Vol�3 Nos 1, 2 (1962)� 

Saiccor News, 1986–1988� 

SAICI Contract Blue Book, May 1954� 

Torviscosa, SAICI brochure (1967)� 

The following were also consulted: 

Saiccor archives, photographs and documentation� 

Works Manager/Director monthly factory reports from September 

1953� 

Minutes of Board meetings from 4 October 1951� 

vi

Acknowledgements 

During the course of the writing of this book, I was grateful for 

discussions with Ferruccio Monte, Silvano Moro, Enoc Baldin and 

Eridanio di Marco, particularly on the early years, and with Norman 

Boulter and Ted Beesley on events in the 1960s� Jacqui Bertossi was 

helpful in supplying dates from personnel records� My thanks to my 

wife Yvonne, Alfredo Battiston, Alan Tubb and Derek Weightman 

for proof reading, and to Linda Johns for typing text and arranging 

pictures� Mike Gangle scanned the photographs� I am grateful to all 

those employees, both past and present, who provided photographs 

from their personal collections� 

vii

Dedication 

For all those people who worked for – 

or performed work for – Saiccor

The Cantacuzene Period (1952–1965) 

The Cantacuzene Period 

(1952 –1965) 

Saiccor’s first Managing Director 

(although the title at the time was 

General Manager) was Michel 

Cantacuzene, or more properly, 

Prince Michel Surgueyevitch 

Cantacuzène, Count Spéransky, a 

Russian aristocrat who had fled with 

his family to France in 1919 during 

the Russian Revolution when he was 

six years old� (The family name has 

been traced back to the eleventh 

century in Russia�) 

Cantacuzene joined Courtaulds 

(France) in September 1933 after his 

father had put in a good word with 

John Hanbury-Williams, a senior 

director of Courtaulds (London) who 

was married to Cantuzene’s cousin� 

In January 1950, Cantacuzene 

married Barbara, his second cousin, 

Michel Surgueyevitch Cantacuzene, 

Managing Director of Saiccor, 1952–1965 

and daughter of Hanbury-Williams (by then Sir John, and Chairman of Courtaulds)� 

In September 1952, Cantacuzene was asked to run Saiccor by Sir John Hanbury- 

Williams and Dr Franco Marinotti (Count of Torviscosa), President of SNIA� 

1


The origins of Saiccor, however, go back to 1912 when 

a young Scots immigrant, Major Peter Rattray (later 

DSO), purchased a farm in Kwambonambi� The 

area was completely underdeveloped when Rattray 

started cultivating sugar cane and cattle ranching� During his absence 

at World War I, his wife Ethel planted some Eucalyptus saligna (blue 

gums) around a shack as a windbreak� On his return, Rattray noticed 

the phenomenal growth of these trees, which he discussed with a 

Government Forestry Officer who encouraged him to embark on an 

extensive saligna-planting programme� 

The first plantation started in 1922 and in 1928 the first commercial 

trees were felled and sold as props for the mining industry� In 1928, 

Rattray had his timber tested for making paper by the Imperial 

Institute in London, but it was found to be unsuitable because of the 

short fibres� In 1933 the mines expanded and Rattray sold his timber 

plantation to Hunt, Leuchars and Hepburn, who set up a mining 

timber mill at Kwambonambi� (Rattray continued planting�) This 

encouraged others to grow timber in the area� In 1937, Major Rattray 

died from an attack of malaria, and his son, Loring Rattray, took over 

the family interests� 

Saligna plantations had expanded to the point where a surplus 

was developing� In 1941, Loring Rattray founded the Waterton timber 

mill, the first sawmill in Zululand to produce sawn timber 

commercially� This, however, was not sufficient to mop up the surplus 

and Rattray contacted the Imperial Institute to see whether saligna 

could be used to make rayon pulp (now more commonly called 

dissolving pulp, as wood pulp is first dissolved in chemicals and then 

reformed into rayon or viscose or cellophane)� When the tests proved 

positive, Rattray started to look for overseas interests to build a rayon 

pulp mill on the Nseleni River, near Kwambonambi� 

Courtaulds, a large British textile fibre producer, on a visit to the 

Imperial Institute, learned of the surplus timber in Zululand, and 

was attracted by the possibilities� The original Courtaulds were a 

Huguenot family who in 1686 sought religious freedom in London, 

where they became gold and silversmiths� The first to enter the textile 

industry was George Courtauld (1761-1823), whose son Samuel set 

up his own silk factory in Bocking, Essex, in 1816� In 1828 the 

company converted into a partnership, then a private company in 

1891, called Samuel Courtaulds and Company Limited� The firm 

became a public company in 1904 and was reorganised under the 

title Courtaulds Limited in 1913� 

Legend has it that Courtaulds received a kick-start by supplying 

black silk to the courtiers of Queen Victoria after the death of Prince 

Albert� The company produced silk and silk products such as crepe 

2 

Major Peter Rattray 

Loring Rattray in a 

saligna plantation, 

1960 

Loring Rattray


ABOVE: Before the saligna plantations, c�1920 

BELOW: The first nursery, in the 1920s 

de Chine and chiffon� In 1904, they bought the patent rights of the 

viscose process for producing textile yarn from the cellulosic solution, 

discovered and developed by British chemists Cross, Bevan and Beadle� 

A new factory, the first commercially successful venture for the 

manufacture of viscose rayon, was set up in Coventry in 1905� They 

expanded the business in the UK, then into the USA in 1910, into 

Canada in 1925, and helped develop the industry in France, Germany, 

Italy and Spain� Sir John Hanbury-Willliams was appointed chairman 

of Courtaulds in 1946� 

Until the end of World War II, Courtaulds bought all their wood 

pulp on the open market� After the war, they were encouraged by 

the British Government to search within the Commonwealth (to 

keep expenditure in sterling) for a source of raw material from which 

cellulose could be extracted� The Zululand timber they heard about 

at the Imperial Institute sounded ideal� Courtaulds soon 

demonstrated to their own satisfaction that here was a very promising 

raw material for the production of rayon pulp� They then looked for 

a partner with pulp-making experience, which they lacked, to form 

a joint venture in South Africa� They found SNIA (Societa Nazionale 

3 

Sir John Hanbury-Williams, 

Chairman of Courtaulds 

1946–1962


December 1960 The Raypulp Recorder 5 

Samuel Courtaulds and Company’s stand at the Rand Easter Show, April, 1960 

TODAYS RANGE OF COURTAULDS PRODUCTS INCLUDES: 

MAN-MADE FIBRES – viscose rayon, acetate, triacetate, 

regenerated protein, alginate, acrylic, and polythene yarns and 

fires. Nylon yarn and staple is manufactured by an associate 

company. 

CHEMICALS – sulphuric acid, carbon disulphide, petrochemicals, 

acetate flake, methyl cellulose, etc. 

PACKAGING – transparent cellulose film, polythene and other 

films, conversion and printing of packaging films, fine fluted 

corrugated paper, metallic capsules, foil, collapsible tubes, 

steel drums, tin boxes, cans, waxed cartons, etc. 

PAINT – industrial, marine, aircraft, transport and decorative paints 

and finishes. 

PLASTICS – acetate moulding powders, transparent film, 

extrusions and sheet; moulded articles and components in 

different types of plastic; developing extruded sheeting in 

polystyrene, polythene and polypropylene. 

ENGINEERING – EHQ provide an authoritative service on all 

architectural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering 

matters. The Engineering Production Shops manufacture 

specialist machinery. 

WOODPULP – Cellulose Pulp from Saiccor and Kraft Pulp from 

Usutu. 

FABRICS AND GARMENTS – using man-made fibres, silk and 

blends. 

STEEL TYRE CORD – being developed. 

Jacquard woven fabric by Courtaulds used 

RESEARCH – eight main research laboratories. 

for a hallroom model by Victor Stiebel 

TRADE DEVELOPMENT – a large staff of technologists have at 

their disposal a wide range of textile machinery and experimental 

plants to promote the use of Courtaulds products. 

An excerpt from The Raypulp Recorder (December 1960), advertising the 

range of products produced by Courtaulds 

Industria Applicazioni), a large Italian chemical company whose 

subsidiary SAICI (Societa Agricola Industriale Cellulosa Italiana) 

operated a rayon pulp mill at Torviscosa, in the northern Italian region 

of Friuli (north-east of Venice, bordering on Austria and Slovenia), 

and who were also using Eucalyptus as an alternative raw 

material�SAICI was the brainchild of SNIA’s president, Dr Franco 

Marinotti� The increasing demand for rayon in the years before World 

War II encouraged Marinotti to build a pulp mill� As Italy had no 

timber resources, Marinotti urged his laboratories to develop a method 

to make pulp from the reed Arundo donax (similar to sugar cane)� The 

4


laboratories succeeded and in the year Marinotti became President of 

SNIA, 1937, a marshland north-east of Venice was developed into 

Arundo donax plantations (the total site including plant and equipment 

covered 5 300 hectares)� 

The pulp mill was built in 1938-39, eventually reaching a capacity 

of 100 000 tons per annum� Benito Mussolini officially opened the 

site on 21 September 1938� Also on the site was a chloralkali plant, 

an alcohol distillery, a caprolactam plant and a dairy herd of some 

2 500 head� SAICI were the first to successfully produce dissolving 

pulp from Eucalyptus, previously considered unsuitable, and set up 

an associate company, SNIACE, to build the first Eucalyptus (globulus) 

dissolving pulp mill (in operation in 1951) in Torrelavega, Spain� (At 

the time of building Saiccor, SAICI also built a similar mill in 

Chihuahua, (Mexico) but with a prehydrolysis stage for softwoods� 

SAICI later built two further mills in South America, two in Russia 

and one in India�) 

The first Courtaulds/SNIA mission came to South Africa in 

September 1950 (two members of the mission arrived on the last 

flying boat to land on the Vaal Dam on a scheduled flight from 

London)� In the mission from Courtaulds were W G Daroux, D R B 

Mynors, and F C Aldred; from SAICI, A Brunetti and E Stefanelli� All 

in time became directors of Saiccor� 

The other members of the mission were Dr W D Spencer 

of Courtaulds and Mr D Bassi and Col� A Hancock of SNIA� 

5 

Dr Franco Marinotti, Count of 

Torviscosa, President of SNIA 

1937–1956 

An Arundo donax plantation� This reed was utilised at first for the production of pulp and alcohol


Fred Aldred, a bright young chemist, had a close association with 

Saiccor until his retirement in the 1980s� From the mid 1960s as a 

technical adviser to Lord Kearton, then Chairman of Courtaulds, he 

was a powerful figure at Saiccor� Fred would often appear 

unannounced in the plant dressed in a tweed sports jacket, with 

leather patches on the elbows, and a camera slung around his neck� 

He would discuss what he had seen with the local management, and 

he certainly knew what he was looking at, and then report back to 

Kearton� Oakley Tainton, then MD of Saiccor, would soon know of 

anything that displeased Kearton� Thus the relationship between 

Aldred and Tainton became strained and the story of an exchange of 

telexes between the two is as follows: 

Aldred: ‘I will be arriving on the 18 th � ’ 

Tainton: ‘That will not be convenient as I will be away�’ 

Aldred: ‘As I am a director, it is not absolutely necessary that you 

are there when I visit�’ 

Tainton: ‘I have instructed the gate guard not to let you in�’ 

Fred kept in touch with Saiccor’s process, gave advice on expansion 

plans, and was quite involved in the development of the flock plant� 

When Kearton retired from Courtaulds in 1975 to run British North 

Sea Gas, Aldred’s power base disappeared and he ceased to be a force 

at Saiccor� He retired to the Lake District in 1982 and died in 1993� 

The mission’s objectives were to confirm the timber supply, to 

find a suitable site for the mill that had an adequate water supply (at 

least 100 000 m 3 /day, according to SAICI), access to a port (for the 

product) and to find a local partner� 

The mission first called on the local pulp and paper company Sappi, 

in Johannesburg, where they received a cool reception� Sappi had 

already decided to build a paper mill on the Tugela, and were not 

keen to have a competitor for timber� The mission then went to 

Durban to consult Mark Bernstein of Campbell Bernstein and Irving 

(CBI) on what rivers, other than the Tugela, could supply 100 000 

m 3 /day� The choice was either the Mkomazi or Mzimkulu� The 

Mkomazi was selected as it was closer to the port of Durban, and of 

course closer to the forests in Zululand� A visit to Rattray’s plantations 

in Zululand impressed the mission and confirmed all they had heard� 

The mission sought and found a local partner, the Industrial 

Development Corporation (IDC)� The IDC had been set up in 1940 

as a parastatal organisation to help develop industry in South Africa 

and had been involved in the formation of such well-known 

companies as Sappi, Sasol, Foscor, Safmarine and Masonite� 

The mission went back to prepare feasibility studies� SNIA started 

the plant design with Dr Alessandro Brunetti, MD of SAICI, heading 

6 

Fred Aldred of Courtaulds 

had a close association 

with Saiccor until his 

retirement in the 1980s


A photo taken in 1950 of the original team that investigated the feasibility of the Saiccor project� From LEFT TO RIGHT 

are: FC Aldred, Dr WD Spencer, WG Daroux (all from Courtaulds), L Rattray (a Natal tree farmer), D Bassi, I 

Stefanelli, A Brunetti and Col� A Hancock (all from SNIA-Viscosa) 

the team� They also conducted pilot plant studies which were not 

completely successful, for although it made a good pulp, it was too 

soft to go through the drying machine� The IDC selected the site and 

examined the supply of services such as timber, electric power and 

water� 

Courtaulds produced a proposal for a 110 ton/day pulp mill� The 

company, the South African Industrial Cellulose Corporation, soon 

to become SAICCOR, was registered on 12 September 1951, with 

Courtaulds, SNIA and the IDC each having a third of the 

shareholding� SNIA were to design, build and commission the plant 

(which they welcomed as they not only had the expertise but were 

overmanned at the time after having to re-employ all former 

employees returning from the war)� The IDC supplied all the local 

expertise and were responsible for all external services and logistics� 

Courtaulds wanted the product, and had the overall responsibility 

for the success of the project� The project was to be managed by the 

Saiccor Board� 

The first Board of Directors was appointed on 3 October 1951 and 

consisted of Claude Cornish-Bowden (Chairman) (IDC), Alessandro 

Brunetti (SAICI) and Wilfred Sheldon (Courtaulds)� The first Board 

meeting was held in Johannesburg on 4 October 1951, followed by a 

further four in 1951, and eight in 1952� From November 1953 the 

venue moved to Durban and from November 1954 to Umkomaas� 

7 

The original Saiccor logo designed 

by Piero Miniutti was in use until 

the 1960s, even though one of the 

‘hands’, SNIA, sold its interests in 

1956


From 1953 Dr Hendrik van Eck took over the Chairmanship of both 

IDC and Saiccor, although Cornish-Bowden remained on the Saiccor 

Board until July 1956� Also from 1953 the number of Board members 

increased to 12 (four from each partner)� Courtaulds kept the 

chairmanship of Saiccor for IDC chairmen: Claude Cornish-Bowden, 

Hendrik van Eck, Siegfried Kushke, Jan Kittshoff, Oakley Tainton 

(an IDC man although not chairman), and Koos van Rooy� The only 

non-IDC man to be Chairman of Saiccor (until the Sappi purchase 

in 1988), was Norman Wooding, deputy Chairman of Courtaulds 

who had the chair from 1983-1985� In 1961, Wilfred Sheldon became 

the first Saiccor employee to achieve 10 years service (he resigned 

from the Board on 29 October 1964)� 

SNIA (through SAICI) started placing orders for plant and 

equipment in September 1952� At the same time Saiccor bought land 

for the factory, some 4 km upstream of the Mkomazi River mouth, 

from the Illovo Sugar Estates (established in 1890)� 

The first sod was turned in November 1952 and work commenced 

with Rush and Tomkins doing the earthworks, Roberts Construction/ 

Concor (the local contracting company)– with Douglas Roberts in 

charge – doing the civils and buildings, all under the control of 

consultants CBI, headed by Mark Bernstein� Prof� L Manfredini of 

SAICI had overall charge of all civil and building design and 

construction� The rail line to the factory was opened on 5 November 

1953 and the road in January 1954� (In 1862 the Natal government 

built a harbour at the Mkomazi River mouth and for a short time 

cargo vessels used it� Twin townships (North and South Barrow), 

were laid out on its north and south banks� These names persisted 

until 1924 when the whole area was renamed Umkomaas�) 

In January 1953 Cantacuzene set up an office in Albany House 

in Durban while the factory was being built� Each of Saiccor’s 

partners had representatives at this office� From SNIA was Camillo 

Pianto (Cantacuzene’s deputy), from Courtaulds was Bill Hastie, 

Works Manager, and from the IDC were Oakley Tainton, 

Commercial Manager, John Carrick, Secretary and Chief Accountant 

(who retained the position until he retired at the end of April 1978; 

he was appointed to the Saiccor Board in 1976), Stan Gay, Buyer 

and Jock Mitchell, the Zulu-speaking Personnel Officer� Alec L 

Thomson, Oakley Tainton and John Carrick became the first 

employees to achieve 20 years service in 1973� Tainton was the first 

to achieve 30 years in 1983� 

Timberland was bought, with trees, from Rattray for £500 000 

(including Waterton Timbers)� Although Cantacuzene signed the 

cheque, the deal had been negotiated with the IDC, leaving 

Rattray somewhat bitter because he felt he had not been given a 

fair price� 

8 

Wilfred Sheldon


The original South Barrow Hotel (c� 1920) 

Saiccor bought the New South Barrow Hotel in 1953 to accommodate 

the Italian artisans� Once Saiccor was in operation, Cantacuzene tried 

to sell the hotel but could not, and so decided to run it as a business� 

He renamed it The Lido, gave it a facelift, and hired an Austrian, 

Hans Ainhirn, to run it� As the hotel was only just ‘jogging along’, 

Cantacuzene added an Olympic size swimming pool in 1957 and a 

small nightclub� The dance floor was level with the bottom of the 

pool and the dividing wall between the two had a plate-glass window 

through which the night revellers could watch the swimmers� The 

Lido soon became very popular with people from Durban, particularly 

for Sunday lunch at the pool and Saturday night at the nightclub, 

and was the venue of most Saiccor functions, including some lavish 

affairs like the Carnevale di Venezia, and beauty pageants� However, 

its popularity waned and it was sold in 1986 by Gordon Campbell� It 

The New South Barrow Hotel (c� 1930), purchased by Saiccor in 1953 to 

accommodate the large influx of Italian artisans 

9 

Alec L Thomson, TOP, 

(joined 5 January 1953), 

Oakley Tainton, MIDDLE, 

(joined 1 March 1953) 

and John Carrick, 

BOTTOM, (joined 1 July 

1953) became the first 

employees to achieve 20 

years service in 1973


The Lido Hotel (c� 1980), originally the South Barrow Hotel, became a 

popular haunt for Saiccor employees until its sale in 1986 

The Lido pool and gardens overlooking the Mkomazi River 

changed hands numerous times after the sale and is currently the 

Sea Fever Lodge� 

In 1953 Arturo Bozzone arrived in Umkomaas from Johannesburg 

(he had immigrated to Pretoria from Italy as a young man of 18 in 

1928) to cater for the Concor workers, operating from the Shotley 

Hotel� When Concor left he lost his job� Undaunted, he set up a warm 

and often lively Italian restaurant in Umkomaas, which was soon 

recognised as the best in Natal outside Durban� In 1957 Bozzone took 

over the shops in Saiccor Village� There, in the butchery shop, Ferruccio 

Monte – one of the Italian artisans who came out in 1954 – started 

making Italian meats in his spare time, which was natural enough as 

10


The first location of Bozzone’s Italian Restaurant, in Umkomaas, 1960 

both his father and grandfather were 

butchers� In 1963 Ferruccio married 

Bozzone’s daughter Renée, and in 1970 he 

left Saiccor to go into business with 

Bozzone� He set up and ran Italian Meat 

Products, an Italian delicatessen and meat 

factory� From small beginnings, the Italian 

meat factory became very well known 

throughout the country, processing one and 

a half tons of meat a week, mainly pork and 

beef, specialising in salami, prosciutto, coppa 

and pancetta� Today Ferruccio’s son 

Piercarlo still runs the business, with a little 

help from his father� 

Meanwhile, in July 1961 the ristorante moved 

to larger premises, where its great popularity 

persisted for many years through the efforts of 

Arturo, sons Ezio and Roberto and son-in-law 

Ferruccio, with homemade food, homemade 

music, and dance� The sight of the Bozzone 

family having lunch became a familiar one in 

Umkomaas, with 10 to 15 of them sitting at 

a restaurant table, none eating or drinking 

until the ‘old man’, who was invariably late, 

took his place at the head of the table� The 

ceremony could then commence� 

Alas, all that remains of this once thriving 

enterprise is the ‘The Whaler’� 

Legendary restaurateurs� TOP, Roberto and Ezio Bozzone and 

Ferruccio Monte and BOTTOM Ferruccio Monte and Arturo Bozzone 

11


In early 1954 the factory buildings had progressed to the point where 

preparations had to be made to bring out the Italian technicians and 

artisans from SAICI to erect the plant and equipment� The Italian 

government wanted as many people as possible to participate (in 

order to help with their unemployment problem)� While the South 

African government was happy enough to accept the Italians, they 

were certainly not prepared to accept any communists� As a result, 

the South African authorities scrutinised each and every applicant, 

despite the fact that SAICI’s Dr Fabio Fonda had handpicked them 

all� This caused delays and frustrations� 

In March 1954 Francesco Nardi, the Erection Manager, Francesco 

Dose, Enea Corrado and six artisans arrived in advance of the main 

groups – including Gino della Martina, who stayed on at Saiccor until 

his retirement in 1987 at 69 years old� He died in 1997� Gino was, 

throughout his career at Saiccor, the Building Manager, where he made 

concrete as hard as granite (nothing ever fell down) and ran his 

department in a typically Italian autocratic fashion� In 1973 he was 

also appointed Group Building Manager� He was for some time the 

Chairman of the Italian Club in Umkomaas� Today his son Lorenzo 

is a leading member of the Italian community in Durban� 

The first group, comprising 58 people, including two women, a 

nurse and a cook, arrived by Constellation on 23 April 1954 and started 

work three days later� The last of the four plane loads arrived on 6 

August, bringing in total 222 pulp experts to Umkomaas, in what at 

the time was the biggest commercial airlift in South Africa’s history� 

A further 30 arrived by sea in early October� 

Work progressed rapidly, with 250 Italians and 400 Zulus� The 

employment conditions for the Zulus were negotiated between 

Cantacuzene and the nkosi of the Umnini Reserve at a lengthy ndaba� 

(This sizeable reserve on the north side of the Mkomazi River had 

been given to Nkosi Luthuli, by signed grant from Queen Victoria, 

when the Zulus were moved from their land on the Bluff�) 

The first group of Italians en route to Durban, April 1954 

12 

Francesco Nardi 

Gino della Martina


The Saiccor factory under construction, 1954 

Innumerable problems had to be solved� One of the earliest problems, 

that of finding an Italian-speaking, South African trained nurse, 

proved intractable, whereas a transport problem had a rough and 

ready solution: ‘transport from the New South Barrow hotel to the 

factory site has now been finalised in the form of two ten ton lorries 

each of which will be carrying 70 men� This will necessitate two 

trips and it is anticipated that half the men will start at 7:30 and the 

other half at 08:00’ (Hastie, 1954) 

When the authorities refused to allow the boiler and turbine parts 

across either the rail or road bridges, a makeshift bridge was 

successfully constructed across the river for the purpose� 

Among those who started in 1954 were Luigi de Corte, Rino Boem, 

Silvano Moro, Bepi Trevisan, Alison Mthuli and Armando Zerman, who 

became the first employees to achieve 40 years service at Saiccor in 1994� 

Moro was the first to achieve 45 years in 1999� Although Enoc Baldin 

and Edi Taverna started in 1954 and were still employed in 1994 and 

1999, both had broken service� 

Luigi de Corte started as a Boilermaker in the workshops making 

doors and windows for the factory� Once the factory was operational, 

he worked as a Boiler Operator under Gino Salotto for three years� 

He then moved back to the workshop, and in 1961 was transferred 

to the plant, where he worked in the woodyard, liquor plant and 

digesters where he became a Chargehand� He retired in 1995� 

Throughout his career he was super-energetic, working like a Trojan� 

For many years he worked with Giordano Soldat, and together they 

made a comical team as Giordano was twice ‘Gigi’s’ size� 

13 

Armando Zerman


Rino Boem started as a bricklayer and remained in the building 

department throughout his long and successful career (a large part of 

which was under the watchful gaze of his uncle, Gino della Martina)� 

He was promoted to Chargehand and then to Engineering Assistant� 

He knew more about the underground drainage system than anyone 

else at Saiccor, and prevented a catastrophe many times� He retired 

in 1998� 

Silvano Moro started as part of the erection crew, installing 

equipment� Once the factory started he became an Operator in the 

waterworks� In the middle of 1956 Fonda insisted that all Italians 

had to be inside the factory and Silvano moved to first screening as 

an Operator; then to the chlorine plant, then bleaching where he 

became a Chargehand, and in 1970 a Superintendent� In 1987 he was 

promoted to Production Manager of the magnesium plant, where he 

stayed until 1999 when he retired, having achieved his objective of 

45 years of service� Silvano tackled everything with great enthusiasm 

and dedication� When offered the job of Production Manager he 

responded ‘God bless you’ and proceeded to work night and day to 

keep the plant in good order� From his house he could see the 

magnesium plant and would often pop in at odd hours because it did 

not look quite right� He probably also made the best coffee in Saiccor� 

Bepi Trevisan started as a fitter but moved into the boilers for three 

years as an operator once the factory was operating� He then 

From LEFT TO RIGHT: Luigi de Corte, Rino Boem, Silvano Moro, Bepi Trevisan and Alison Mthuli, the first Saiccor 

employees to achieve 40 years service in 1994 

14


transferred to the workshop, and in 1961 to Pulp 

Preparation, where he was promoted to Chargehand, 

then Assistant Engineer and finally Divisional Engineer 

of digesters� He retired in 1997 and died the same year� 

Bepi was thoroughly competent, hardworking and 

dedicated� For his innovation of bypassing No 4 silo he 

was awarded the Sappi EAA Gold Award in 1992� 

Alison Mthuli worked in the company garage and then 

transferred to the mechanical workshops, where he is 

remembered as being very quiet with a permanent smile 

on his face� 

Armando Zerman and Carletto Scarpa were two 

highly talented young cabinetmakers who arrived at 

Saiccor in 1954 and developed their skills under master 

craftsman Luigi Soldat� Armando was promoted to 

Chargehand and finally to Engineering Assistant� He 

retired in 1994 and died in early 2001� Although he often 

behaved like a prima donna, his work was superlative – 

good examples being Sappi’s executive suite at Kings Park The author, with Zerman’s model of the Saiccor factory 

(prior to 2000, when it was refurbished), done with 

Carletto Scarpa; his model of the Saiccor factory, achieved almost 

single-handed (with some coaxing); and the desk in the magnesium 

control room� Luigi Soldat sadly died young in 1970, but both his 

sons, Giorgio and Giordano (Sack), became Saiccor employees, the 

latter for the past 35 years� 

The town of Umkomaas changed dramatically on 23 April 1954� The 

proposed £7,5 million rayon factory in Umkomaas had sparked heated 

debate since 8 January 1952, when the Marquis Fracassi di Torre 

Rossano, Minister Plenipotentiary for Italy, announced while on 

holiday in Durban that 700 Italians would be coming out to build it� 

(The Italian government was hoping for this number�) 

An article from the Natal Mercury on 11 January 1952 gives some 

indication of the level of controversy surrounding the proposed influx 

of Italians: 

Umkomaas Speaks Mind on 

Factory 

The building of a £7,500,000 rayon 

factory at Umkomaas might change 

its character from a little piece of 

‘English Suburbia’ to that of a 

cosmopolitan South African 

industrial town� 

When the slightly bewildered 

ENGLISH SUBURBIA OR LITTLE ITALY? 

Umkomaas people got over the 

initial shock of the 600 Italians 

coming to the township, their 

opinions fell into two clearly 

defined channels� 

People with business interests were 

in favour of the idea of Umkomaas 

‘waking up at last,’ but the 

majority of the residents, compri- 

15 

sing mostly English people who 

have retired, hope that Umkomaas 

will ‘sleep on’� 

One elderly retired resident who has 

been in Umkomaas for the past 20 

years declared: ‘I am definitely not in 

favour of being turned into an 

industrial town and I am strongly 

opposed to foreigners�’


The debate raged through letters to the press, centred mainly on the issue of the Italians, some for and 

some against� To quote a few examples: 

The new types will frighten away the thousands of regular visitors� Imagine the beach and bathing pool at weekends, 

with hundreds of Italian wives and children within walking distance� (J Hall, Daily News, January 1952) 

There need be no fear that Umkomaas or any other equally underdeveloped spot in South Africa would not benefit 

tremendously by the creative and hardworking genius of the Italians� (Natal Mercury, 25 February 1952) 

Eventually an Italian ‘Monti’ joined the fray: 

Italians are guilty of having two big faults; of being poor and, above all, of being intelligent� For the first, we are 

despised and for the second we are envied� Now, if they like, they can continue, but I just want them to know that we are 

superior to these offences� (Natal Mercury, 31 January 1952) 

‘Dopo-Domani at Umkomaas’, a cartoon which appeared in The Natal Mercury, 16 January 1952, summed up 

the feelings of local residents at the time 

16


A cartoon by Robin in the Natal Mercury of 16 January 1952 entitled 

‘Dopo-Domani at Umkomaas’ summed up some of the feelings at 

the time� Three years later, in 1955, the situation was neatly summed 

up by the Natal Mercury (13 September): 

250 IMPORTED ARTISANS HAVE BROUGHT NEW LIFE TO RESORT� 

When quiet, sedate Umkomaas, 

with its elderly retired couples, 

international golf course and 

select holiday trade, heard that 

its population was to be 

increased by nearly one-third 

overnight with the arrival of 250 

Italian artisans, the village was 

frankly concerned about its 

future� 

A few residents, fearing a local 

industrial revolution, with 

possible racial overtones, sold 

up and left� 

Some 70 of the Italians were accommodated in the New South Barrow 

Hotel, and most of the others filled up the other hotels in Umkomaas 

– Robin Hood, Goodrest, Fairway, Ocean Park and Golf Course – while 

24 went into three self-catering houses, soon to be known as Spirit 

house, Devil house and King’s house� 

As the Italians tended to be ostracised by the people of Umkomaas, 

they became a close-knit family unit, socialising largely among 

themselves� The most popular leisure activity was naturally soccer, 

which they played with a passion, practising where No 2 continua 

now stands� Parties with song and dance were frequent and regular, 

while a train ride to Durban for shopping and ‘bioscope’ was also 

popular� In their new and strange environment the young Italians 

managed to create a lot of fun� 

Mass at the Town Hall in Umkomaas, c� 1955 

17 

But today Umkomaas is finding 

that the influx of new blood 

and the coming of industry 

have brought new life and 

prosperity�


There was no Catholic Church in Umkomaas and the Town Hall 

had to be used for services, with a visiting German priest from 

Umzinto� Father Umberto Ceselin, a priest from Friuli, arrived in 

Umzinto in 1956� 

About half the Italians were married, and wives started arriving 

from 1955� Some of the single men arranged proxy marriages to 

girlfriends in order to bring wives out, since the company would pay 

for a wife’s fare, but not a girlfriend’s� One of the first, in September 

1955, was Renzo Scarpa, whose son Flavio and daughter Mannie 

Rivetti still work for Saiccor� There were 25 proxy marriages – in a 

few cases the couples did not even know each other – and most were 

successful� The first couple to get married in South Africa was Silvano 

Moro and Imperia Martelossi, in July 1957 at Umzinto� 

The Zulus solved their accommodation and travel problems by 

simply building a village on the small hill across the road opposite 

the woodyard (where No 4 continua stands today), named Villaggio 

Roma by the Italians� There were also some Pondos in the village, 

which gave rise to occasional clashes� 

The Zulu employees in the 1950s built themselves a small village, named 

Villaggio Roma by the Italians 

In May 1955 Dr Fabio Fonda, an experienced Chemical Engineer, 

arrived from SAICI� He was in charge of the start-up, and brought 

with him Dr Brusa, the Laboratory Manager, and his assistant Dr 

Gianpietri (later to become Technical Manager at Mondi Merebank)� 

Fred Aldred, the Courtaulds’ representative, arrived on 7 June with 

Dr Bruce and John More (a long-time Saiccor associate until his 

retirement in the mid-1980s) and 10 engineers, chemists and analysts� 

Five ‘cooks’ were made towards the end of June 1955 and 17 in July� 

The first 440 pound bale of unbleached pulp was made on 16 July 

1955 (bleached pulp started at the end of September)� In August the 

factory was running on a continuous basis, six days a week� The 

18 

Dr Fabio Fonda


discharge of effluent into the sea at the river mouth commenced on 

11 August and the foam was of some concern to the local authorities� 

By this time, 27 white South Africans had been employed – there 

were language problems� 

Saiccor factory, 1956 

SO Recovery was in operation from the end of November and in 

2 

December 1955 the first rayon pulp acceptable to SNIA was made� 

(Courtaulds were unhappy with the quality and would not accept 

the pulp�) SNIA and Courtaulds officially accepted 1 December 1955 

as the date of commencement of 

production� 

In the Saiccor process wood chips are 

‘cooked’ with calcium bisulphite liquor in a 

digester (like a large domestic pressure 

cooker), at high temperature and pressure to 

dissolve most of the lignin in the wood� The 

liquor is made by burning sulphur and 

reacting the resultant sulphur dioxide with 

a limestone slurry� After cooking, the spent 

cooking liquor is washed out of the pulp� 

Knots and uncooked pieces of wood are then 

screened out before the pulp is bleached� 

After bleaching the pulp is screened again 

and then dried, cut into sheets and baled� Third floor digesters 

19


SAICI designed the plant for 110 tons per day� There 

were five mild steel brick-lined digesters (280 m 3 ) 

operating at 6-bar, each with its own washpit� Chips 

were conveyed to each digester and then gravity fed 

into the digester through a movable hopper� 

There was a Lurgi roaster to make sulphur dioxide 

from pyrites (imported from Northern Rhodesia, now 

Zambia), the flue gas went through an electrostatic 

precipitator before reacting with crushed limestone in 

a set of four packed Hagglund towers� Limestone 

arrived in big pieces, up to 400 mm in size, and was 

first broken up by hand with 14-pound hammers 

before going to a jaw crusher and ball mill� The 

woodyard consisted of a huge log pile, from which 

massive cranes dumped logs into a canal� From here 

they were dragged by hand, using metal poles with a 

hook at the end, to a 72-inch Murco 10-knife chipper 

(No 1), housed in what is now the magnesium oxide 

store� 

Chips were fed to three chip silos� First screening 

had four vibratory knotters for first stage and one for 

second stage, followed by four Lindblad screens for 

first stage and one for second stage, followed by one 

Ahlfors screen for tailings� There was a four-stage 

bleach plant, chlorine, caustic soda, hypo and an acid 

stage (chlorine dioxide was installed in December 

1963)� All except the caustic stage were low 

consistency as there were no high density pumps 

available at the time� Adjustments were made to hypo 

flow to each one of the four hypo towers to control 

viscosity� Second screening consisted of Ahlfors 

screens, four for first stage, one second and one third 

stage�The screens have long gone, but the name of 

the plant has stuck� 

The wet end of the pulp machine (No1 continua) 

was made by Utita and an L-type Flakt dryer by 

Pignone� 

Pulp bales (not units) were loaded by overhead crane 

into rail trucks in the pulp store (road transport and 

units were introduced in 1975)� 

There were three coal-fired boilers from Breda (No’s 

1-3) MCR 30 t/h and two Tosi turbines MCR 3,8 MW� 

Effluent was discharged via an open concrete channel 

to the outfall into the ocean at the river mouth� SAICI’s 

cost estimate for the plant and equipment was 

20 

The woodyard, showing the log pile and canal 

No 1 continua under construction (TOP) 

and (BOTTOM) in operation


Bales showing the Saiccor logo 

£5 460 954, according to the Contract Blue Book, May 1954, which 

details each and every item with costs, down to nuts and bolts, 

workshop hand tools and office furniture� 

At the end of December 1955 SAICI, having achieved their objective 

in the Saiccor project, sold their share in the company to Courtaulds� 

Saiccor became two-thirds Courtaulds and one-third IDC� This 

remained so until 1988, when both partners sold their shares to Sappi� 

At the beginning of 1956, SAICI announced they would officially 

hand over the factory at Umkomaas to Saiccor on 28 January� For 

the official opening Cantacuzene ‘wanted everything to be of the 

best, starting with Krug champagne’� At that time there was none 

in the country, but he managed to order 500 bottles of Charles 

Heidsieck from his Polish aristocrat friend Dom Radziwill, who was 

21 

Pulp bales being loaded onto a rail 

truck 

Eastern view from the Chemical Plant, 1956 Southern view from the Engineering Block, 1956


the agent�The official opening was performed by the Governor 

General of the Union of South Africa, Dr E G Jansen� Invited 

guests included the Minister of Economic Affairs (represented 

by the Secretary for Commerce and Industry, P de Waal Meyer), 

the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Dr M H de Kock, Natal’s 

Provincial Administrator Denis Shepstone, the Chairman of 

Courtaulds Sir John Hanbury-Williams, the President of SNIA 

(represented by Alessandro Brunetti), Loring Rattray and the 

Saiccor Board�The celebrations started on the morning of 27 

January with Zulu dancing at Mnini, followed by sheep and 

beef on the spit for the Zulu employees� A feast was held in the 

Saiccor canteen for the white workforce, where the Board and 

some of their wives signed the first sheet of Saiccor dissolving 

pulp (now housed in the Club Comunita Italiana in Umkomaas)� 

That evening Loring Rattray gave a cocktail party for the dignitaries 

at his home in Durban� The official ceremony on 28 January started 

with lunch and speeches at the New South Barrow Hotel, followed 

by the ribbon cutting at the factory� A message from the Minister of 

Economic Affairs, Dr J J van Rhijn, was read out� ‘I welcome every 

new undertaking that promises to save or earn South Africa additional 

foreign exchange�’ 

Press photo of the official opening of Saiccor, 28 January 1956, which 

appeared in the Natal Mercury with the following caption: ‘His 

Excellency the Governor-General photographed after he had officially 

opened the rayon pulp plant of the South African Industrial Cellulose 

Corporation (SAICCOR) at Umkomaas� With him are (LEFT TO RIGHT) 

Sir John Hanbury-Williams, chairman of Courtaulds Ltd�, Mr Alessandro 

Brunetti, of Snia Viscosa, and Dr H� J� van Eck, chairman of the South 

African Industrial Development Corp� The tablet near which they are 

standing is in three languages, English, Afrikaans and Italian, evidence of 

the collaboration of three nations to the enterprise�’ 

22 

(CLOCKWISE) Dr Hendrik van 

Eck, Sir John Hanbury-Williams 

and Dr Franco Marinotti, and 

BELOW The Board of Directors 

Extracts from the brochure produced 

for the official opening of the Saiccor 

factory on 28 January 1956�


The Governor-General, Dr EG Jansen, said, ‘Saiccor had been a 

contribution of large magnitude to the establishment of new 

industries on a decentralised basis�’ 

‘I trust that the example will be followed,’ chairman of the IDC, 

Dr van Eck said� ‘This is only a beginning� Soon there may be similar 

factories along the Natal South Coast�’ 

The Governor General of the Union of South Africa, Dr EG Jansen, was 

presented by Saiccor with an antique marble head dug from marshes at 

Torviscosa at the opening ceremony on 28 January 1956 

Dr van Eck, on behalf of Saiccor, presented the Governor-General with 

a head carved in marble, dug from marshes at Torviscosa� The piece 

of sculpture, described as being ‘of great antiquity and value’, was 

given to Saiccor by Dr Marinotti for presentation to Dr Jansen� 

At the opening it was made known that Saiccor had cost nearly £8,5 

million, with share capital of £6 million (£2 million from each partner) 

and a loan of £2 million from the Commonwealth Development 

Finance Company� The sum of £1 million had been spent on 15 000 

hectares of plantations in Zululand, and 3 000 hectares of land in the 

Natal midlands, £0,5 million in housing, and presumably the 

23


An interesting article on the history of rayon, which appeared in the brochure at the official opening of the Saiccor 

factory in January 1956 (author unknown) 

24


remainder on plant, infrastructure and services� It was estimated the 

company would have an annual turnover of £3 million� 

For the opening, Dr van Eck wrote, ‘the potential requirements of 

a future local rayon producing industry have not been overlooked’� 

The issue had obviously been pursued, for on 30 May 1956 SNIA 

Viscosa (Milan) submitted a proposal to Saiccor for a 30 t/d viscose 

staple fibre plant� This was never followed up� 

After the official opening all the SNIA people resigned from the Saiccor 

Board except for Alessandro Brunetti, who was asked to stay on in his 

personal capacity until 8 March 1957� The Board then comprised: H J 

van Eck (Chairman), A Brunetti (Italian), M Cantacuzene (French), J 

Charlton, A C M Cornish-Bowden, R V D Devos (Belgian), C F 

Kearton (British), G S J Kuschke and C W Sheldon (British)� 

Changes to the Board over this period were:� 

April 1956 – Charlton resigned (died the following year) 

July 1956 – Cornish-Bowden resigned 

March 1957 – Brunetti resigned� 

February 1960 – Devos resigned and was replaced by D R B Mynors (British) 

October 1960 – W F Hastie (British) appointed as Courtaulds 

Representative 

October 1964 – Sheldon resigned, replaced by O W Tainton (not 

representing any shareholder) 

January 1966 – Cantacuzene resigned, replaced by J L Yeomans (British) 

On 1 February 1956 Dr Fabio Fonda joined Saiccor as Technical 

Manager and Deputy Works Manager� Reporting to the Works 

Manager, he was responsible for the factory’s production� The first 

operating management team was now complete� 

The First Saiccor Operating Management Team 

R O Fowler, Secretary of the Management Committee, is not shown� 

Michel Cantacuzene – 

General Manager 

Bill Hastie – Works Manager 

(responsible for overall factory 

performance) 

25 

Alessandro Brunetti 

Fabio Fonda – 

Technical Manager 

(responsible for production)


Oakley Tainton – 

Commercial Manager 

(responsible for raw 

materials) 

John Carrick – Chief 

Accountant and 

Company Secretary 

This committee remained unchanged until Fonda resigned to return 

to Italy at the end of February 1959� The structure of the company is 

outlined on p 27 (it remained so until about 1967, after which it 

slowly expanded)� 

Two certificated engineers joined the company on 1 October 1955, 

Viggo Melkjorsen as a Plant Engineer and Graham Mortimer as 

Electrical Engineer� Mortimer managed the electrical department until 

his retirement in April 1973, ably assisted by Angelo Serravalle and 

Bruno Trevisan, who together created a huge, complex electrical 

system over 20 years� Mortimer became Plant Engineer in November 

1962, and endeared himself to the Italians when his daughter married 

an Italian (who still runs a restaurant in Durban North) and by driving 

an Alfa Romeo! Melkjorsen was a Swede who loved parties� He joined 

as Assistant Plant Engineer and became Chief Engineer in November 

1960, when he was elected to the management committee� He left 

Saiccor in 1965� 

In February 1956, Tom Harman of Courtaulds took general control 

of engineering� From 1 December 1957, Ken Reed was appointed 

Develop-ment Manager (he had been seconded to Saiccor from 

Courtaulds)� 

The Mechanical Engineer was Rosicarelli, who took over from Nardi 

when he left in September 1955� Enea Corrado was workshop 

Foreman� Assuero Bramuzzo was Services Engineer and Tom 

Fitzgerald was Chief Draughtsman� 

Dr Mortarino and Dr Bruce were Production Managers, each 

responsible for half of the factory� Shift Superintendents were Gino 

Rivetti, Marcello Malpiedi, Domenico Sabbatini and Alfonso de Faveri� 

Dr Brusa was Laboratory Manager� 

Towards the end of December 1955, the plant was producing an 

average of 70 t/d, and Fonda was confident the plant and equipment 

would reach design capacity early in the new year� He was, however, 

26 

Viggo Melkjorsen 

Graham Mortimer


The management structure of Saiccor, until 1967 

27


so concerned about the South African operators (both white and 

black), that he wrote a letter (on a SAICI letterhead) on 3 January 

1956 on behalf of the SAICI Start-up Team Management to the Saiccor 

General Management concluding that, ‘if something were not done 

about the standard of the operators, the plant could not operate�’ He 

found the South African operators inefficient, uncooperative, ill 

disciplined and unwilling to learn, compounded by a high turnover 

of whites� 

The Italians had come out in 1954 on a two-year contract to build 

and start up Saiccor and were due to return to Italy in 1956� Because 

of Fonda’s concerns, Saiccor management offered all the Italians the 

opportunity of signing a further three-year contract with a ‘signing 

on’ bonus of £300 (about 10 months’ salary)� Although their wages 

were relatively low by today’s standards (30 cents an hour), their 

standard of living in Umkomaas was better than it had been in Italy� 

About half the Italians signed the new three-year contract, while the 

other half started returning to Italy from 20 April 1956� Many of the 

artisans who stayed on were employed as operators� 

Production increased steadily from 78 t/d in January 1956 to 163 

t/d in April 1959, achieving the design capacity of 110 t/d from July 

1956 onwards� The yearly figures were: 

1956: 105 t/d 1957: 130 t/d 1958: 148 t/d 

Although numerous minor alterations were made to the plant, like 

increasing pipe and motor sizes, the increase in production was 

achieved largely by learning how to get the maximum output out of 

each and every piece of equipment� 

For example, the following alterations were made to the drying 

machine over the period� 

A new 200 mm steam line 

Removing rashig rings from the air water heat exchanger 

Increasing the air flow through the dryer 

Improved felts and wires 

Improved vacuum at the suction presses 

With these relatively minor changes, the output of the machine 

increased from its design of 110 t/d in early 1956 to average around 

150 t/d in the second half of 1958� The first time 181 t (200 short 

tons) was achieved was on 22 August 1958� 

Naturally the output of all other plants had to match the drying 

machine and all increased accordingly� 

A fatality unfortunately occurred on 10 February 1956� Foreman 

Instrument Mechanic Ego del Bianco was killed by the digester lift� 

A block of flats under construction in Saiccor Village at the time was 

named Del Bianco Court in honour of Ego, as was a street in the 

village� 

28


The first plant to prove troublesome was the digesters� 

In May 1956 the carbon brick lining of No 5 digester collapsed and 

had to be rebuilt� The other digesters soon followed� It became 

apparent that rebuilding digester linings was a fulltime occupation� 

Solutions to the collapse of the brick linings were being sought when 

it became necessary to order No 6 digester� It was decided to buy an 

improved type of digester from the German company Esseners, 

consisting of a mild steel shell clad with stainless steel� No 6 digester 

was commissioned in January 1960 and operated at 6,6 bar (10 per 

cent higher than No’s 1-5)� 

Between December 1960 and June 1962 the brick linings on No’s 

1-5 digesters were replaced with loose stainless steel linings – a vacuum 

between the stainless steel and the mild steel shell had to be 

maintained� The stainless steel linings were a great improvement on 

the bricks, but also collapsed from time to time� No 7 digester, a repeat 

of No 6, was commissioned in May 1961� When the order was ready 

to be placed for No 8 digester, Avesta (Sweden) were making cold 

stretched digesters, but Lloyds of London would not approve the 

design of these vessels� An order was consequently placed on Canzler 

of Germany for another clad stainless steel one� No 8 digester was 

commissioned in January 1962� 

From No�9 digester onwards all digesters were Avesta coldstretched 

stainless steel� Ingemar Johanssen of Avesta, 

the patent holder of the cold stretching process, was 

a regular visitor during the construction of these 

digesters� No 9 was commissioned in 1963, No 10 in 

1964, No 11 in 1967, No 12 in March 1969, No 13 in 

December 1969, and No 14 in 1973� No’s 15-17 were 

bought secondhand (11 years old) from Vallvik in 

Sweden in 1975� These digesters were cut in half, 

across the centre, and transported to South Africa� A 

piece was welded in to make the digester 1,2 m longer 

(the same volume as the others, 285 m 3 )� No’s 18-20 

digesters were commissioned with the magnesium 

plant in May 1985� No’s 21-23 were commissioned 

with the Mkomazi plant in January 1995� 

A programme to replace No’s 1-8 digesters was 

started in 1980; they were commissioned as follows: 

No 1 – 1983 No 2 - 1982 No 3 - 1981 

No 4 – 1982 No 5 – 1980 No 6 – 1990 

No 7 – 1987 No 8 - 1989 

No’s 9 and 10 operated at 6 bar, while from No 11 on 

the operating pressure was increased to 10 bar, the 

higher pressure giving a better quality pulp, particularly Construction of digesters 18, 19 and 20 in 1984 

29


with wattle� From 1970 wattle was only cooked in 10 bar digesters, 

after No’s 9 and 10 were re-stretched with strips added to convert 

them from 6 to 10 bar� Since 1990 all digesters have worked at 10 bar, 

which has made the operation of digesters far easier and has produced 

a more consistent pulp� 

The digester plant has undergone a greater transformation than 

any other plant in Saiccor’s 50-year history� 

From an engineering perspective two untiring men, Piero Mian 

and Henry Zan, drove the transformation, together with a team that 

included Bepi Trevisan, Sergio Govetto, Silvano Rigotti, Luigi de Corte 

and Giordano Soldat� Piero Mian worked in the digesters from the 

start of the factory, then as a section Foreman from 1960, Assistant 

Engineer from 1970 and finally as Divisional Engineer from 1979 until 

he reached retirement age in 1984� At that stage he moved to the 

magnesium plant, where he stayed until he actually retired in 1989, 

just before he turned 70, at which time he was still running up and 

down inside the evaporator like a spring chicken� Today at 81 he 

remains fit and strong� Piero was another autocratic Italian manager, 

overseeing everything personally, and as a consequence working day 

and night� He was tough on his people but would protect them with 

his life; it would have been easier to take off his right arm than to 

take away one of his people� He was diligent to the finest detail and 

would persevere with a problem until it was solved� His work on 

solving the problems on circulation pumps, their packings and 

corrosion on the digester vessels, was outstanding� 

Henry Zan (son of Ennio) took over as Divisional Engineer in digesters 

when Piero moved out in 1984� Henry was Saiccor’s first Technikon 

graduate mechanical engineer and has, in pursuing a similar strategy, 

carried on the transformation of digesters started by Piero� For his work 

in solving the problems of digester valves and gaskets in particular, 

Henry was awarded a Sappi EAA Bronze award in March 2000� As an 

Assistant Engineering Manager, he is still in charge of digesters� 

Two other people, although not Saiccor employees, have made a 

major contribution to the digesters, namely Allan Lofstrand and 

Franco Scarpa� Between the two of them they have built all but two 

(No’s 9 and 11) of Saiccor’s existing digesters� Allan, a Swede, worked 

for Avesta and was in India in 1964 when he was asked to go to 

Saiccor to build No10 digester� Once the digester was commissioned 

he went back to Sweden, returning on 5 January 1969 to build No 

12� He married a local girl, Maria, and has stayed in South Africa ever 

since, being involved with every digester after No 11� He joined LHL 

Engineering in 1969 for a year, then Durban Engineering� In 1971 he 

joined Axel Johnson (who represented Avesta) and in 1978 became 

Managing Director of ND Engineering, where he is today (although 

the company name has changed a few times and is currently Metso)� 

30 

Piero Mian 

Henry Zan 

Allan Lofstrand and Franco Scarpa


Digesters 9-17 were ordered from Avesta, but from 1980 onwards all 

digesters were from ND Engineering (although the plate came from 

Avesta, except for the new Nos 3 and 5 that came from Southern 

Cross)� 

Franco Scarpa came to South Africa in 1961 for the adventure, 

although he had two brothers working at Saiccor� He joined Durban 

Engineering but was persuaded by his brother Renzo to join Saiccor 

in 1963� He worked in the workshop, then the liquor plant, but left 

in 1965� He worked on his own as a plumber for a few years, then 

joined Breckenridge, and from there went to Milano Motors before 

joining Coilco Engineering in 1974� In 1978 he joined ND Engineering 

and is still there� He was at the construction ‘coal face’ of every digester 

from No 18, including the rebuild of No’s 1-8� There probably is not 

anyone in the world who knows more about building stainless steel 

digesters than Franco� 

Willem Deyzel of Lloyds Register was also an integral part of the 

digester building team� 

Another plant that was extremely troublesome from 1956 onwards 

was the Lurgi pyrites ‘roaster’ and the precipitator that followed it� 

Bruno Trevisan, the electrical engineer, was horrified in 1975 when 

he heard the gas producer had electrostatic precipitators, because he 

experienced so much trouble with the one following the pyrites 

roaster� Early in 1958 it was decided to buy a sulphur burner, No 1 

Liquor preparation, showing No 1 Simon Carves burner, 1959 

31


Simon Carves, which was started in February 1959� In October 1959 

the Lurgi ‘roaster’ was converted to burn sulphur, and no further 

pyrites came to Saiccor� 

The blockage constant (KW) of the pulp produced in the first three 

months of Saiccor’s operation averaged 24-28, which exceeded 

Courtaulds’ limit of 20� The ash, calcium and silica also exceeded the 

limit� Owing to the poor quality, Courtaulds would not accept the 

pulp and it all went to SAICI� In March 1956, a 10 t trial lot with a 

KW of 22 went to Courtaulds� In July acid water was added to the 

slurry going to the continua which improved the ash levels and some 

pulp started going to Courtaulds, but when the pulp was used another 

problem emerged� Some of the sheets ‘floated’ in the caustic soda in 

the Courtaulds’ sheet steeping process� This problem was only 

completely solved when a calendar press (from Farrel) was installed 

70 per cent through the pulp dryer in 1966� By December 1956, a 

large proportion of Saiccor’s pulp was going to Courtaulds� 

For almost the first four years of operation, there was a constant 

struggle with KW values and not much headway was made� In June 

1956 John More from Courtaulds arrived to investigate the problem� 

In early 1957, it was recognised that high silica gave high KW’s and a 

liquor filter was installed in the liquor making plant (to remove silica 

from limestone)� Silicas dropped to 70-90, but KW values remained 

just over 20� In February wattle was tried, but the KW value was 85� 

In March detergent was tried in the caustic soda bleaching stage, 

initially to clear the cloudy viscose that was made from Saiccor pulp� 

Not only did the viscose clear, but the KW values dropped below the 

Courtaulds’ limit� By June (18 months after start-up), Bill Hastie made 

the comment ‘The attainment of the quality standards laid down 

originally may be said to be an important milestone passed�’ (Hastie, 

1957) This was attributed to 0,1 per cent detergent, the liquor filter 

and activated silica being used for incoming water purification� KW 

values were 17, ash 0,06 – 0,07 per cent, silica 72-84 ppm, and calcium 

354 ppm� 

From August 1957 silica and KW’s started to increase, and over the 

next two years monthly average silicas varied from 91-208 and KW’s 

from 18-24� Pulp quality was marginal until September 1959, when a 

battery of centricleaners were added to second screening� Silicas 

dropped to around 40 and KW’s to 15� By this time flock pulp was 

being made but it did not go through the centricleaning plant and 

had silica of 219 ppm and a KW of 34 (varying from 18-76)� However, 

the major problem of blockage constant had been solved� 

The Board approved the first extension scheme in February 1958 

to construct a pilot plant to test a new process proposed by Courtaulds 

to flash dry pulp (flock pulp)� The conceptual design for the pilot 

plant was done by Courtaulds (Fred Aldred and Bruce Townsend) 

while the detailed design work was done at Saiccor with help from 

32


two draughtsman from Courtaulds� Giorgio Natali and his project 

construction team put the plant together rapidly and the first bales 

were made on 11 August 1958� By the end of September the plant 

was producing 12 t/d and was eventually pushed to 35 t/d� John 

Grew, who had been loaned to Saiccor by Courtaulds, carried out 

much of the original work on the pilot plant� He was ably assisted by 

Marcello Malpiedi, who later supervised the running of the large 

second line (100 t/d)� Both Grew and Malpiedi took up positions at 

Usutu� 

Malpiedi, a graduate (Perito Chimico Industriale), was engaged by 

SNIA (on behalf of Saiccor) in September 1954, and transferred to 

Saiccor as a Shift Superintendent in June 1955� In December 1958 he 

was promoted to Assistant Development Manager, where he was 

fully engaged on developing the flock plant� Marcello moved to Usutu 

in 1961, and then went to Courtaulds in Coventry in 1968� In 1978 

he went to Italy in an attempt to sell Saiccor pulp, the first time sales 

were attempted outside of Courtaulds, but it turned out in the end 

that no pulp was available for external sales� In 1987, Marcello moved 

to Hong Kong as a foundation member of SPT (Specialty Pulp Trading) 

to sell Saiccor and Usutu pulp� He retired in 1993 but joined the Saiccor 

Board in September 1993� 

Based on the success of the pilot plant, Saiccor started extension 

scheme No 2, a full-scale flock plant for 100 t/d using a 20A atritor, 

which started on 15 March 1960� 

Also based on the success of the pilot plant, Courtaulds decided to 

use the system in the new pulp mill they were planning to build in 

Swaziland (Usutu)� They also took out a patent for the process, 

aiming to sell relatively inexpensive drying plants to small pulp mills 

close to forests� The sales campaign was unsuccessful, even when 

Courtaulds tried to market the process with Sunds in the early 1980s� 

Only Saiccor and Usutu ever used the process� Saiccor eventually 

achieved over 500 t/d flock pulp in 1979, but made its last flock bale 

on 17 January 1995� Because of the patent, the flock plant was for 

many years ‘top secret’� So much so, that when Ted Beesley joined 

Saiccor as a chemical engineer in the Development department in 

1960 he was not allowed to go into the flock plant� 

The heart of the process, and the reason for the patent, was the 

atritor in which the pulp was ‘fluffed’ and exposed to hot air (450- 

500 °C)� An atritor was a coal crusher, made by Alfred Herbert of 

Coventry, which had a rotating disc with cast iron pegs and hammers 

attached to it� It was not entirely suitable for the pulping process 

because if anything hard went inside, it would chip a peg, the chip 

from the peg would chip another, and so on, so that within seconds 

the innards would be smashed into small pieces� The first atritor 

smash at Saiccor occurred on 24 November 1958� Many others 

followed throughout the history of the flock plant� 

33 

Marcello Malpiedi


The capital cost of the flock plant was low, as was the energy cost, 

but it was dusty and an everlasting source of fires� Added to this it 

was a hydraulic nightmare, mechanically pushed to the point of 

breakdown and the quality was always inferior to sheet pulp� Hence 

over the years many people put in a great deal of effort to keep the 

troublesome flock plant going� These included: from engineering, 

Paddy Brannigan, Frank Rhodes, Bruno Scorovic, Giorgio Natali, Ido 

Zanello, Achille Fontana, Enoc Baldin and Basilio Segatto; from 

production, Marcello Malpiedi, Norman Boulter, Gino Rivetti, Bepi 

Martelossi, Ennio Zan, John Davey and Eridanio di Marco; from 

electrical, Graham Mortimer, Angelo Serravalle, Bruno Trevisan, 

Jimmy McFeat, Piero Miniutti and Adelmo Chiccaro; from 

instruments, Vic East, Barry Tokelove and Sergio Gori; from technical, 

Attie du Plooy, Bryan Thomas and John Thubron; from the 

development department Ken Reed, Ted Beesley, Ciano Ioppo and 

Alfredo Battiston� Four operating chargehands put almost a lifetime’s 

work into the flock� They were ‘Louis’ Szabo and Bill Ravenscroft 

(who together for the first six months worked 12 hour shifts, seven 

days a week), Warwick Harper and Roy Barry, while Rudi Riecker, 

Garth Railton, Elijah Mkhize, Lawrence Zondi and Osborne Phungula 

were there for many years� 

Other capital work completed by early 1959 included an additional 

200 mm steam main to No1 continua (January 1958); two 

clariflocculators for the waterworks (February 1958); No 2 chipper 

(same as No 1) and chip screens (July 1958); acid stage in bleaching 

converted to fifth hypo stage and No 5 and 6 filters put in parallel 

(December 1958)� 

The number of people employed in August 1956 (after some of the 

Italians had returned to Italy), were some 50 staff and 906 hourly 

Some of those who were involved with the flock plant and were at its demise 

in 1995: R Barry, L Szabo, E Baldin, S Stone and E di Marco 

34


paid labour (243 white, 663 black) or 39 t/a per man� By April 1959 

this had increased to 50 staff and 958 hourly paid labour (258 white 

and 700 black) or 61 t/a per man (in the year 2000 this was 

approximately 450 t/a per man)� 

Dr Fabio Fonda resigned at the end of February 1959 for personal 

reasons, and returned with his South African wife, Elizabeth, to SAICI, 

where he worked until his retirement in 1976, including a five-year 

spell in Brazil building and commissioning a nylon factory� After his 

retirement he worked as a consultant for the United Nations 

Industrial Development Corporation� Sadly, he died on 5 July 1994 

in an accident� Dr Fonda regarded Saiccor as his ‘baby’, with some 

justification, returning for his last visit while on holiday in 1962� 

Dr Ian (John) Mackenzie of Courtaulds took over as Technical 

Manager when Fonda left in 1959, but Ken Reed was elected to the 

management committee� Mackenzie was only elected in February 

1969� Norman Boulter, seconded from Courtaulds, became Assistant 

Technical Manager� Dr Renzo Mortarino was still Production Manager 

and Shift Superintendents (equivalent to Shift Managers) were Gino 

Rivetti, Alfonso de Faveri, Domenico Sabbatini and IA Schoultz� 

On the engineering side Tom Harman was still the Chief, or Plant 

Engineer, Viggo Melkjorsen was Assistant Plant Engineer, Paddy 

Brannigan (an Irish South African) was Mechanical Engineer, Graham 

Mortimer Electrical Engineer, Assuero Bramuzzo Services Engineer, 

and Maurice Hilcove Waterworks Superintendent� 

On Sunday 17 May 1959 the Mkomazi river burst its banks, flooding 

the Saiccor factory� The first sign of a problem occurred at around 5 

pm, when Maurice Hilcove raised the alarm that he was experiencing 

difficulties running the waterworks because of dirty river water� At 

that time the river level at the water intake was 1,2 m which was no 

cause for concern� By 6�30 pm the level had risen to 3,4 m, which was 

The Mkomazi River burst its banks in 1959 and the Saiccor factory was flooded 

35


still not unusual, but by 7�00 pm it was 9,1 m� This was a crisis� By 

7�30 it was 11,3 m and disaster had struck� 

The factory was running at full capacity at the time� Shift 

Superintendent Domenico Sabbatini was aware that the river level 

was rising, but as no alarm had been indicated, he had not taken any 

action� The sheeting machine Chargehand took the first shutdown 

action when water started to run through the building� 

Renzo Scarpa, the Chargehand in the power station, tripped the 

generators at 7�47 pm� A short while later Eskom failed after flashing, 

leaving the factory dead except for some emergency lights, and out 

of communication as the telephone had been out of action since the 

previous evening when the line had been blown down in a storm� 

The factory was submerged in about 2 m of water, which was flowing 

swiftly across the entrance and between the buildings� 

Mortimer was the first to go to the factory on the normal road, 

with Brannigan a little behind� Mortimer drove into the river at 

Cannonby siding, Brannigan stopped further up the hill and went to 

rescue Mortimer� They were both swept into the cane field and had 

to swim for their lives, and both their cars were submerged� 

Bill Hastie arrived at the factory at 8�00 pm, using the original 

South Coast road� Hans Ainhirn, the manager of the South Barrow 

hotel, Mackenzie and a few employees, were already there� Ainhirn 

went back for a rope, while Mackenzie went to fetch Brannigan and 

Mopping up operations after the flood, 1959 

36


Mortimer� Unbeknown to the others at the time, Ferruccio Monte 

and Aldo Rossetto swam into the factory to inform Sabbatini that 

help was on the way, 

Ainhirn and some employees returned with the rope, went into 

the water, and guided to safety a number of people stranded on the 

canteen roof, as well as the chlorine plant operator who had also 

become stranded� For this, Hans Ainhirn, Eridanio di Marco, Silvano 

del Vecchio, Renzo Cescutti, Danilo Stroppolo, Col� Francis 

Hollington-Sawyer and Julius Mehlomane Mblambo were given 

National Awards for Bravery (only three such awards had ever been 

made before)� 

The river flow dropped fairly quickly, and by midnight all personnel 

had come out of the factory� Bill Hastie noted ‘that, in addition to 

factory personnel, we were assisted by local members of the South 

African Police, by Mr Bozzone and his sons, who provided help in 

refreshments and transport, and by Mr Breckenridge, the contractor 

working on the South Barrow hotel�’ (Flood Report, 1959) 

On Monday morning the factory was submerged in a metre of 

mud and debris (including cars)� All available men and shovels set to 

removing mud from plant and offices� Earth moving equipment was 

brought from Durban on the original South Coast road as the new 

bridges across the Lovu and Mkomazi rivers were down� All motors 

and most instruments were taken to Durban for overhaul� All bearings 

were changed with bearings flown in from all over the country, as 

well as from Europe� 

All electric terminal boxes and cable ends were examined, cleaned, 

dried out and repaired as necessary� A total of 308 motors were 

removed and overhauled, 300 starters and associated equipment were 

dismantled, cleaned, dried out and tested, 126 instruments 

overhauled, 665 machines were dismantled and 1 393 bearings and 

213 belts were changed� About 80 per cent of this work was done 

in just 14 days, from the time 

equipment could be worked on 

until the factory restarted on 

6 June� 

Paddy Brannigan commented 

‘Since the start-up, remarkably 

little trouble has been experienced 

in view of the fact that all trades, 

including pipe fitters and 

boilermakers, were used on 

overhauling machines� Altogether 

only 34 hours production time has 

been lost due to mechanical failure 

and this reflects great credit on the Flood damage, 1959 

37


Flood damage, 1959 

work done by artisans over this difficult period�’ (Flood Report, 1959) 

A tremendous achievement� There was also great support from outside 

organisations, particularly Vic East (Devers) for instruments, Jake 

Crompton (BTH) for electrics, and Mark Bernstein (CBI) for buildings� 

The flood cost the insurance company half a million pounds, 

including the cost of the company bus, which was swept out to sea� 

Mortimer’s car was lost, as was Strath Redding’s when he drove into 

the river and had to swim for his life, an exercise he repeated in 1987! 

Hastie concluded ‘The experience has shaken us out of routine and 

there has been a display of resourcefulness and improvisation by 

various members of the staff which, in many cases, has demonstrated 

a capacity and ability that was not obvious previously� There can be 

no doubt that the SAICCOR organisation has benefited very 

considerably from the flood experience�’ 

The river flow reached a peak of 5 500 cumecs (200 000 cusecs) 

during the flood� As a result the berm at the West Side of the factory 

was raised 5 ft to 10 ft� This certainly prevented an even greater 

disaster in 1987, when the river came to within half a metre of the 

top of the extended berm when the flow reached 7 000 cumecs 

(250 000 cusecs)� 

As a souvenir of the flood, Cantacuzene had silver ashtrays made by 

the South African mint for all senior staff, engraved ‘17th May – 6th 

June’ in his handwriting� 

The seven people who received awards for bravery through the Natal 

Chamber of Industries deserve special mention� 

Hans Ainhirn was born in Marburg, Austria in 1917� At age 14 he 

started work in a hotel school and in 1938 became a paratrooper in 

the German army, seeing 18 months’ service in Czechoslovakia, 

Poland, France and Russia� After the war he returned to the hotel 

business in Bad-Gastein, Salsburg� In 1956 a guest at his hotel 

38


persuaded him to go to South West Africa, where he stayed for a 

year� While on holiday in South Africa before returning to Austria, 

Cantacuzene contacted him through a Swiss acquaintance and 

offered him a job at The Lido� 

Julius Mehlomane Mblambo was born in Natal in 1911� A quiet, 

conscientious man, he joined Saiccor as a driver – a very good one – 

in 1954, aged 43� He continued to drive until his retirement on 31 

August 1971� He died in 1972� 

Silvano del Vecchio was born in the province of Udine in Italy in 

1921 and started work at SAICI� In 1941 he was one of 77 men who 

formed the original ‘frogmen’ unit in the Italian Navy – a technique 

invented and developed by the Italians� After the war he returned to 

SAICI, from where he was sent to the new pulp mill in Mexico, 

returning 13 months later� Dr Fonda persuaded him to come to Saiccor 

in 1958, where he worked in the flock plant� He transferred to the 

laboratory, where for many years he did lab cooks and bleaching work 

with John Thubron, who called him ‘Pops’, a name which stuck� He 

retired at the end of 1986� Silvano kept himself very fit by swimming 

kilometers every day� 

Eridanio di Marco was born in San Giorgio di Nogaro in 1935� He 

served two years in the Italian Navy from 1953 and then worked for 

a building contractor in Udine until, after a three-month course as a 

laboratory analyst at SAICI, he left for Umkomaas in June 1956� He 

worked in the laboratory until 1972, when he became a Shift 

Superintendent, then Production manager of the flock plant in 1993� 

He retired in 1999� As a younger man he played soccer for the Saiccor 

Football Club’s senior team, and in Italy he was a member of the 

Navy’s athletics team� 

Renzo Cescutti was born in Aiello del Fruili in 1935 and started 

work in a bakery at the age of 15� Renzo’s father Mario, who came to 

Saiccor in August 1954 as an Operator in digesters, used his influence 

to get Renzo a job at Saiccor� Renzo arrived in September 1955� He 

worked as an Operator in bleaching, then as a Chargehand and finally 

as a Shift Superintendent� He retired in March 1996, unable to take 

the strain of the slow running of the factory� In Italy Renzo played 

soccer, but changed to basketball and swimming when he came to 

South Africa� He now cycles quite seriously� 

Danilo Stroppolo was born in Torviscosa in 1938 and started work 

at a metal workshop in a nearby village� He arrived in Umkomaas in 

March 1956 to start a new life in a new country as an Operator in 

SO 2 Recovery� He later moved to the workshop, where he stayed 

until he returned to Italy to work for the Torviscosa municipality in 

the early 1970s� He was a member of the SAICI swimming team and 

won many breaststroke and freestyle events� 

Col� Francis Hollington-Sawyer was born in London in 1911 and 

worked in Burma for three years before joining the British army in 

39 

Silvano del Vecchio 

Eridiano di Marco 

Renzo Cescutti 

Danilo Stroppolo


1936, where he rose to the rank of Colonel� He commanded troops 

behind the Japanese lines in Burma in 1942-43� He was wounded 

and left the army with an honorable discharge on medical grounds 

in 1944� He then did odd government jobs in North Africa before 

buying a farm in Umkomaas� He joined Saiccor in April 1959 as an 

Operator in the woodyard, a month before the flood� 

It became clear in 1955 that 

permanent accommodation 

would have to be built for Saiccor 

employees� A block of flats, 

Umkomanzi Mansions, was built 

in 1955, but a village was really 

required� The favoured site for a 

village was the present Widenham 

Caravan Park, extending across the 

golf course to Umkomaas, so that 

the village would have been part 

of Umkomaas� However, both the 

Town Board and Golf Club would 

have none of it� So cane land was 

bought from Illovo, opposite the 

south-western extreme of the golf 

course� 

The construction of houses started immediately� Supposedly under 

advice from Pianto, the houses were to have neither garages nor 

servants’ quarters (his logic was that without transport or domestic 

help, there would not be much time for wives to gossip!) The village 

was completed in 1957� Great care was taken to preserve the four 

giant-leafed figs (Ficus lutea) at the entrance to the village� When people 

moved in, there was still much evidence of cane in the grounds of 

houses and on the verges of the dusty roads� The village became Capo 

Cotta to the Italians� 

Village life soon developed, with shops and a school (in the large 

house on the corner of Centre Street and Aquileia Avenue) where 

nuns from Umzinto taught the Italian children to speak English to 

enable them to attend the local schools� 

The Saiccor Sports Club was formed and was well supported, 

particularly soccer, but also basketball, tennis, hockey, golf and cricket 

(not favoured by the Italians)� The soccer side did very well under 

Captain Ferruccio Monte, and was the first ‘country’ side in 58 years 

to take the Dewar Shield away from a Durban Club in 1961� Nevio 

Turco was selected to play basketball for Natal� Gastone della Martina 

(Gino’s son) was the tennis star, followed by Silvano Moro, and 

leading cricketers were Ted Turner and Mike Timm� Golf did not 

produce any stars, that had to wait for the children – Armando and 

40 

The first Saiccor village houses 

were completed in 1957, on cane 

land bought from Illovo


The Saiccor soccer team, 1961, the first country side in 58 years to take the Dewar Shield away from a Durban club� 

From left to right, standing: C Ghirardo (Masseur), G Dri, D Canciani, J Volcz, F Monte (Captain), G Indri 

(Chairman), G Panizzolo, G Indri, A Rosig, P Meneghel, F Titton, F Meneghel; squatting: E Scrazzolo, L Soardo, 

O Tubaro, A Susanna, A Allegro, I Titton, E Scrazzolo, B Murador 

Miranda Zerman’s sons Raimondo and Manuel (who represented 

Italy) and Dave and Trish Clark’s sons Raymond and Timothy� All 

four represented Natal on many occasions before pursuing their 

careers� Manuel (‘Mannie’) and Timothy both had the distinction of 

playing in the US Masters before turning professional� 

The community was also very active culturally� Naturally a choir was 

first formed, with Bepi Martelossi as the choirmaster, and included Piero 

del Ponte, who had trained as an opera singer� The choir had a fine reputation 

and performed in Durban and Pietermaritzburg and other centres� 

41 

The Saiccor choir enjoyed a fine 

reputation, with Bepi Martelossi 

as choirmaster


The dance orchestra formed and conducted by Ado Magrin 

Ado Magrin formed and conducted a dance 

orchestra� 

There was theatre with the Umkomaas Players; 

among the performers were Nan Mitchell, Billie 

Watts and Olga Sfaelos� The Fogolar Furlan 

committee of the Sports Club, a cultural group, 

organised some lavish social events like the 

Carnevale di Venezia at the Lido and folk dances at 

Christmas parties (outstanding decorations were 

often designed and executed by Ciano Ioppo)� 

The Zulus formed exceptionally good Ngoma 

dancing teams that became well known throughout 

the Province� The dancing was very popular and 

there were numerous teams within the factory� The 

woodyard team became South African champions 

A Saiccor Zulu dancing team, c� 1960 

42 

Folk dancing organised by the 

Fogolar Furlan cultural committee 

of the Sports Club, 1960� LEFT TO 

RIGHT FRONT: Clara del Ponte, 

Franco Mason SECOND ROW: 

Liviana Taverna, Giuseppe 

Panizzolo� BACKGROUND: Renata 

Pittich, Roberto Bozzone, Renée 

Bozzone and Ennis Turco


Consecration of the Catholic Church in Umkomaas, 15 August 1959 by 

Archbishop Damiano� Those present included Fr Ceselin, the Italian 

Consul, Michel Cantacuzene and Bill Hastie 

at a competition in Port Shepstone in 1959� A combined Saiccor team 

managed by Moses Magubane was a regular feature of the Durban Tattoo� 

In 1958 Saiccor bought land from Illovo and supplied materials for 

the Italians to build a Catholic Church� The church was completed 

in 1959 and Father Ceselin moved in from Umzinto for the 

consecration of the church on 15 August 1959� Father Ceselin has 

been at the church ever since and has played a central part in the 

community� Not only has he officiated at mass, weddings, 

christenings and funerals, but he has attended all social functions as 

a member of the community, being rewarded for his long and devoted 

service by the Vatican promoting him to Monsignor� 

Once the church was functioning, the school in Saiccor Village 

closed down and moved to the church hall� The building vacated by 

the school became the Clubhouse� By this time, however, there had 

been an argument at the club� The Italians involved in the 

disagreement were concerned that, as Saiccor management were on 

the club committees, arguments at the club would reflect poorly in 

their work situation� So they decided to build a club of their own� 

The Club Communita Italiana was in use from 1963 and was, with 

few exceptions, for Italians only� It certainly took business away from 

the Saiccor Sports club, which slowly lost its appeal and became virtually 

defunct in the early 1970s� The Italian club is still in existence, although 

struggling, as the second generation Italians are more South African than 

Italian, and the number of first generation Italians is diminishing� 

Possibly unique in South Africa at the time, the banking hours 

outside the banks in Umkomaas were also written in Italian� In every 

shop it was essential to have someone who could speak Italian� 

Umkomaas had certainly become a ‘little Italy’� 

43 

The Club Communita Italiana logo


In mid-1960 building commenced of the first 200 four-bedroomed houses in 

Magabeni to house Saiccor employees 

Saiccor started building the first 200 four-bedroomed houses in Magabeni 

in mid-1960� By January 1961 the first 50 houses were occupied� 

Gino della Martina had a team building houses in Magabeni (and 

now and again in Saiccor Village) almost until his retirement in 1987� 

By this time it became clear that there were major problems with 

company housing� Although a nominal rent was levied by the 

company for the houses to enable the occupants to save for a home 

of their own, this was seldom done, and when individuals retired 

and had to leave their houses, they mostly had no home to go to� 

From that time (1987) Saiccor built no more houses and started selling 

all those it did own� 

Despite the flood, production in 1959 increased by 11 per cent from 

1958 to 169 t/d, while profits increased by 7,5 per cent to R2,1 million� 

Profits during the Courtaulds/IDC era need to be viewed with some 

circumspection, as the selling price of the pulp was in fact a transfer 

price that was significantly lower than the market price� This enabled 

the Courtaulds’ viscose and film plants to receive a low cost raw 

material, which in the long term probably allowed them to become 

less competitive than they ought to have been, but in the short term 

they were pleased� IDC’s objectives were to create industry (and as a 

consequence employment) hence they were not concerned that 

Saiccor’s profits were lower than they could have been, providing 

production kept on increasing, which it did, thereby increasing the 

number of people employed (mainly in the forests, where by 1988 

some 10 000 people were employed)� 

Thus both partners were very happy with what was happening at 

Saiccor� Production and profits increased steadily through the years 

44


1960-1965, largely through capital investment in new plant and 

equipment� By the middle of 1963 Saiccor had paid for itself, despite 

the ‘managed’ profits – a simple payback of eight years� By 1964, the 

dividend of R2,4 million amounted to 20 per cent of the issued 

ordinary share capital� 

Year Production t/d Profit (R’million) Dividend (R’million) 

1959 169 2,1 1,2 

1960 212 2,8 1,7 

1961 258 3,4 2,0 

1962 300 3,2 2,0 

1963 347 3,2 2,0 

1964 382 4,2 2,4 

1965 396 3,6 2,4 

The members of the Management Committee in 1964 were: 

Managing Director Michel Cantacuzene 

Works & Development. Mng. Ken Reed 

Commercial Mng. Oakley Tainton 

Secretary/Chief Accountant John Carrick 

Technical Mng. Norman Boulter 

Chief Engineer Viggo Melkjorsen 

Personnel Mng. Jock Mitchell 

Laboratory & Research Mng. Pat Roche 

Senior staff were: 

Medical Officer Dr Lapping Production Mng. Gino Rivetti 

Works Accountant Alec Thomson Shift Superintendents Bepi Martelossi, 

Cost Accountant Jimmy McInnes Ugo Testa, 

Chief Purchasing Off. Stan Gay Giovanni Baldin, 

Plant Engineer Graham Mortimer Ennio Zan, 

Mechanical Eng. Frank Rhodes Marino Cudin 

Services Eng. John Earnshaw Woodyard Supt. Bert Beatie 

Civil Eng. Gino della Martina Chemical Eng. Ted Beesley 

Instrument Eng. Vic East Construction Eng. Tom Harman 

Chief Draughtsman Tom Fitzgerald 

Deputy Chief Draughtsman. Ciano Ioppo 

Chemist Bryan Thomas 

The total staff number was 116� 

45


Design work for No 2 extension scheme started in early 1959� It 

included a 100 t/d flock line (No 3 line), No 6 digester, and a Korting 

chilling plant for liquor making� Courtaulds did the conceptual design 

for the flock plant in the UK but the detailed design was performed 

at Saiccor� There was a 20A atritor, a 12 million BTU/h Peabody 

furnace (burning paraffin) and a Fawcett Preston baling press� 

Construction started towards the end of 1959� The chilling plant 

was commissioned in December 1959, and No 6 digester on 4 January 

1960� Before the flock was commissioned on 15 March 1960 it was 

realised another slurry press would be required, and this was ordered 

in December 1960� The new press with perforated plates was from 

Sunds, the first (for the pilot plant) was an Impco unit having grooved 

rolls with knives, obtained secondhand from Courtaulds Mobile� 

Production from the new flock line started slowly because of problems 

with the baling press, but reached 80 t/d after 3 months and 90 t/d 

after 10 months� After No 7 digester was started in May 1961, the 

flock plant was slowly pushed to 120 t/d by October 1961� 

Design work on No 3 extension scheme started at Saiccor before 

No 2 scheme had been installed� For this, and all subsequent 

extensions until 1993, all design, construction and project 

management was handled by Saiccor, although odd engineers and 

draughtsmen from Courtaulds were often seconded to projects� This 

scheme was for a new sheeting machine (No 2 continua) the same 

size as No 1, from KMW but made in Italy, with a Flakt airborne 

drier, having a kite feed and a Pope reeler take-up, to be able to sort 

viscosities before cutting the jumbo roll into sheets� It also had the 

latest innovation of a vacuum headbox with two Holie rolls� This 

added substantially to the cost, but made little difference to the sheet 

properties (when compared to No 1 continua)� Also part of No 3 

No 2 continua 

46


extension scheme was a 45 t/h coal boiler from Babcocks (No 4), No 

7 digester, three Hagglund towers, two concrete liquor tanks, a liquor 

settling tank, an absorption tower and a Rauma pressure washer to 

follow the washpits� Orders were placed from April 1960� Civil work 

started in January 1961 and erection of plant and equipment followed� 

No 2 continua started up on 23 December 1961 and No 4 boiler just 

before the end of the year, the additional equipment for liquor making 

in June 1961, No 7 digester in May 1961, and the Rauma washer in 

April 1963� 

No 2 continua’s output was low for the first two months, largely 

because of difficulties the operators experienced with the kite feed� 

By the third month the machine was averaging 110 t/d and by the 

sixth month 125 t/d� This was slowly increased to 150 t/d after higher 

pressure steam was connected to the drier in April 1963, at which 

time both machines had approximately the same output� 

Once No 2 continua was operating, the output from digesters could 

not meet the requirements� As a consequence flock output was 

reduced (to around 55 t/d), this pulp was not screened giving it a 

high silica content and high KW values, in other words the quality 

was distinctly inferior� To overcome this, the screening plant was 

extended� Orders were placed in February 1961 for Leje and Thurne 

cleaners and No 3 thickener to expand the second screening plant, 

also included was an M57 filter from Kamyr (No 7) and No 5 storage 

tower to enable high consistency pulp to be fed to flock� The expanded 

screening plant was commissioned in February 1962 and No 7 filter 

and No 5 tower in June 1962, from that time the quality of flock was 

comparable with sheet pulp although still slightly inferior in terms 

of KW values, silica, brightness and ash� 

No 8 digester was ordered from Canzler in January 1961 and started 

in January 1962� No 9, from Avesta, was ordered in December 1962 

and started in January 1964� No 10 was ordered in May 1964 and 

started in June 1965� 

Once No 9 digester was operating, chipping capacity became 

inadequate� Design work for No 3 chipper started immediately� Orders 

were placed on Carthage in May 1964, civil work started in July 1964 

and No 3 chipper was commissioned in March 1965 without chip 

screens – there were few oversize chips and little dust� 

Liquor making capacity had to be increased to keep pace with 

digesters� No 9 pressure tank, with a stainless lining, was 

commissioned early in 1962, and immediately thereafter the brick 

linings in No’s 7 and 8 were replaced with stainless steel� No 10 liquor 

storage tank for acid water was constructed in December 1962� No 2 

Simon Carves sulphur burner was commissioned in May 1964 as a 

standby and as an operating unit in August 1965, when a fourth 

Hagglund tower was constructed for the Simon Carves burners� 

47


Design work for chlorine dioxide bleaching (including No 8 filter) 

started in November 1962, orders were placed from December 1962, 

plant erection started in May 1963 and the plant was commissioned 

in December 1963� No 1 filter in bleaching was replaced with a Kamyr 

M57 unit almost twice the size in May 1965, after first installing a 

temporary filter to enable No 1 to be taken out� In November 1965 

No 4A filter was commissioned, which effectively doubled the 

washing capacity after the chlorine dioxide stage� 

A second Rauma pressure washer was ordered in June 1964 and 

commissioned in August 1965� In December 1964 a fourth thickener 

was ordered for second screening, which was started up in June 1965� 

With all the new plant and equipment being installed, power 

consumption increased significantly, making it prudent to increase 

Saiccor’s power generation capacity� The foundations for No 3 

turbogenerator started in April 1964� This was a 6,5 MW Allen 

machine that doubled the total generating capacity� The machine 

was started in March 1965� 

Sheet pulp quality did not change over the period 1960-1965� 

Blockage constants (KWs) averaged around 15, although often ranging 

above the Courtaulds limit of 20� Calciums were high, with monthly 

averages from 450 to 650 ppm summer to winter, while silicas 

averaged around 50 ppm� Until flock pulp went through second 

screening (June 1962) KW values averaged 30 and silica 270 ppm� 

After June 1962 these values dropped to 19 and 60 respectively� 

Courtaulds were not entirely happy with Saiccor’s pulp quality, 

particularly the high calcium levels� Fred Aldred, John More, and 

Malcolm Simpson from Courtaulds paid a number of visits to Saiccor 

to investigate what could be done to improve calciums, but nothing 

proved successful� Copper numbers (about 1,6) and resin (about 0,35 

per cent) were considerably higher than today’s levels of about 1,2 

and 0,1 per cent� 

Various timbers were tried� Wattle was first used in 1957, but the 

KW was 100� Wattle usage continued over the years up to 20 per cent 

of the furnish, but its pulp had high KW values until it was cooked 

separately in high pressure digesters (from 1970), then the percentage 

wattle was increased reaching a peak of 40 per cent in the late 1970s� 

The first trial using pine was done in November 1959, and was 

successful� For a period in 1962 pine was blended up to 5 per cent 

with saligna, producing satisfactory pulp� Casuarina was tried but 

proved unsuitable� 

The first 2 500 t of high alpha pulp for the American market 

(Mobile) was made in November 1961� A second lot was made in 

January 1962� Mobile received 94 alpha for a few years but then it 

was decided 94 alpha was not an economic proposition for Courtaulds 

and Saiccor combined� A further 94 alpha trial was conducted in the 

late 1970s, but was only made commercially from 1996� 

48


In April 1963, a trial of low-density pulp for acetate for Rhodiatoce 

was made on No 1 continua� The first and second press pressures 

were reduced to zero and the third press was lifted, making a 20inch-high 

continental-size bale of 400 pounds (i�e� 744 kg/m 3 , current 

Rhodia bales are 606 kg/m 3 )� No feedback on this pulp is recorded, 

and no further trial was made� 

In March 1961 an APV Kestner lignosulphonate pilot plant was 

commissioned� In the first month 680 kg of powder was produced� 

Production increased steadily to 10 t per month� In April 1962 the 

first 2 000 gallons of liquid sales for treating roads were made for the 

Kruger National Park, who became a major customer� The plant could 

produce up to 60 t/month of liquid product, but sales declined and 

the plant was shut down in November 1963� 

By 1965 the total number of people employed had increased to 

1 250 (381 white, 869 black) but productivity had risen to 116 t/a per 

man, a 90 per cent increase from the 61 t/a per man in 1958� 

The period 1959-1965 was very eventful in terms of the movement 

of senior people� 

A most tragic event at this time was the death of Assuero 

Bramuzzo, the Services Engineer, after a deaerator in the boiler house 

exploded on 15 September 1961� Three people suffered burns, of which 

Bramuzzo’s were most severe, and he died on 18 September� The 

other two recovered� 

Assuero was born in St Giorgio di Nogaro, Udine, on 25 September 

1924� He served an electrical apprenticeship at SAICI and gained wide 

experience on their Chlor-alkali plant project� He arrived at Saiccor 

on 22 December 1953, where he supervised the erection and 

installation of most of the electrical equipment in the factory� When 

the factory started up he was appointed Services Engineer responsible 

for the steam, power and water requirements� Assuero’s widow, 

Fabiana (née Miniutti, Piero’s sister) returned to Italy after his death� 

She had arrived on the first plane in April 1954 as the SAICI nurse 

and married Assuero in South Africa� 

Sir John Hanbury-Williams retired in July 1962, and died in August 

1964� Sir Dallas Bernard became Chairman of Courtaulds in 1962, 

and in 1964 Frank Kearton took over� 

Kearton, a man of enormous intellect, was a Chemical Engineer 

who had been the Courtaulds director in charge of the Saiccor project 

from its very beginning� He was born in 1911 and graduated at Oxford� 

During the war he worked on atomic energy projects and joined 

Courtaulds in 1946 with responsibility for chemical engineering 

research� He was appointed to the Courtaulds Board in 1952� He too 

regarded Saiccor as his ‘baby’, caring for it throughout his career at 

Courtaulds� During the years that Kearton was Chairman of 

Courtaulds, the Saiccor Board became a ‘rubber stamp’, as he would 

49 

Assuero Bramuzzo 

Lord Kearton


make all the decisions with the Chairman of IDC prior to Board 

meetings� In 1961 Kearton became a Fellow of the Royal Society, in 

1966 he was knighted and in 1970 he became a Labour Peer� Lord 

Kearton FRS was a strong supporter of the British Labour Party� He 

played a leading role in repelling ICI’s bid to take over Courtaulds in 

1962, after which he converted all Courtaulds’ cash into assets, 

thereby building a highly complex conglomerate company� Until his 

retirement in 1975 (when he took charge of British North Sea Gas) 

Kearton was a major driving force at Saiccor� In a speech at Saiccor in 

1973 Kearton called Saiccor ‘the jewel in the crown of Courtaulds’� 

In 1989 Derek Keyes, then Chairman of Gencor and a Sappi director, 

also called Saiccor ‘the jewel in the crown of Sappi’� 

In early 1960 design work for the Usutu mill commenced in 

Johannesburg� Graham Mortimer and Ciano Ioppo joined the team� 

In October 1961 some 30 engineering personnel from Saiccor went 

to help commission Usutu, including Bruno Scorovich, section 

foreman of Pulp Finishing, who remained there� 

Bill Hastie, who had been appointed to the Saiccor Board in October 

1960, was appointed Chief Executive of Usutu and left Saiccor in 

February 1962, although he remained on the Saiccor Board� He left 

Usutu in 1968 and joined Premier, where he worked with Ugo Testa, 

a former Saiccor Shift Superintendent, and Thys de Waard, who from 

1988 worked with Saiccor as Sappi’s Technical Manager� Bill retired 

in the late 1970s and died in 1983� Ian Mackenzie joined Hastie in 

March 1962 as Usutu’s Mill Manager� 

Ken Reed became Saiccor’s Works Manager in March 1962, as well 

as Development Manager until January 1965� In October 1967 he 

was promoted to Technical Director� He retired in December 1975 

and died in 1978� He was a very competent chemical engineer and a 

very intelligent individual� 

Norman Boulter became Technical Manager in March 1962� 

Norman, a chemist, was seconded from Courtaulds in 1959 and 

started working in the bleaching plant, where he simplified the 

process control� In January 1965 he was appointed deputy Works 

Manager and in July 1982 Works Director� He retired in May 1987� 

For many years he knew as much about dissolving pulp, and the 

making of it, as anyone in the world� 

Tom Harman developed lung cancer in 1960, relinquishing his role 

as Chief Engineer, but continued as an engineer in the Development 

department� He died in November 1965� Viggo Melkjorsen became 

Chief Engineer and part of the Management team in November 1960, 

until he resigned in July 1965� In November 1962 Graham Mortimer 

became Plant Engineer, his previous function of electrical engineer 

was taken by Angelo Serravalle, who returned to Italy in June 1963, 

when Bruno Trevisan, the Power Station Foreman, took over� 

50 

Bill Hastie 

Ken Reed 

Norman Boulter


Paddy Brannigan resigned as Mechanical Engineer at the end of 

1961� Enea Corrado, the Workshop Foreman took over, and Ado 

Magrin became Foreman of the workshop with Chargehands Giorgio 

Natali, Attilio Segatto, L Simonetti, C Franceschi and Engelbrecht 

(rigger) who supervised a team of 80 highly talented, largely Italian, 

artisans� To mention but one, the blacksmith Aldo Zamarian, who 

could patiently turn any piece of metal into a work of art� He once 

made a candelabra that brought tears to the Italian Consul’s eyes 

when it was presented to him� Frank Rhodes was appointed Services 

Engineer from the beginning of 1962 to replace Bramuzzo� Corrado 

resigned in July 1963 and Frank Rhodes took over the position� 

W H Kieviet was recruited as Services Engineer in October 1963 

but did not last long and John Earnshaw was recruited for the position 

in May 1964� Vic East became Instrument Engineer from 1960� 

Ted Beesley joined Saiccor in July 1960 as a Chemical Engineer in 

the development department and was appointed Development 

Manager in January 1965� Tom Fitzgerald was Chief Draughtsman, 

and from February 1962 Ciano Ioppo was Deputy Chief 

Draughtsman� 

Dr Mortarino and Dr Bruce left in 1958, Dr Gianpietri, Fonda’s 

assistant, replaced them as Production Manager� Dr Gianpietri 

resigned in March 1960 and Gino Rivetti, a Shift Superintendent, 

was appointed Production Manager, then Senior Production Manager 

in 1970, a position he held until he retired in 1984� Giovanni Baldin 

became Shift Superintendent in 1960 and in 1967 joint Production 

Manager� Over the period Sabbatini returned to the laboratory, de 

Faveri, Malpiedi and von Schoultz left, Bepi Martelossi, Ugo Testa, 

Marino Cudin, Martin Ferreira and Ennio Zan were appointed Shift 

Superintendents� Martin resigned in May 1963 but returned to the 

laboratory in July 1964� 

Ted Turner (seconded from Courtaulds Acetate laboratories in 

1958), was appointed Laboratory Manager in July 1961� He returned 

to Courtaulds in August 1963� In September 1963 Pat Roche was 

appointed Laboratory and Research Manager, Domenico Sabbatini 

deputy, and Bryan Thomas (who joined in 1960) Senior Research 

Assistant� Roche was seconded to Saiccor for two years from 

Courtaulds Viscose Laboratory in mid 1958, returning to the UK two 

years later� In 1962 he returned to Saiccor as Research Manager being 

appointed to the Management committee in July 1962� He returned 

to Courtaulds in mid 1967� 

Jock Mitchell, the Personnel Manager, was appointed to the 

Management committee in November 1960� He retired in November 

1964 and was replaced by Roy Fortune, whose title was Personnel 

Officer� 

On 10 December 1960, Franco Mason became the first Saiccor 

employee to complete his indentures under the Apprenticeship Act� 

51 

Vic East


Gastone della Martina with Franco Mason (RIGHT) 

Giuseppe Mason (Boiler Attendant), Franco’s father, joined Saiccor 

in April 1954 and was followed to South Africa by his family two 

years later� A year before leaving Italy Franco became an apprentice 

at a garage in San Giorgio, but when he joined Saiccor in April 1956 

it was as an Operator in the Digesters� On 28 April 1957 he transferred 

to the workshop and indentured as a Fitter apprentice� Franco worked 

as a Fitter and then for many years as a Machinist until he retired in 

1998� He is currently fully occupied as Chairman of the Italian Club, 

a position he has held since 1988� 

Another bright young man of the time was Renzo Beltramini� Born 

in 1943 in Palmanova, Udine, he came to South Africa in October 

1956 to join his father Amedeo, of the building department, who 

arrived in 1954� He was apprenticed as an instrument mechanic at 

Saiccor in November 1959� In June 1962, he received a letter from the 

Principal of the Natal Technical College congratulating him for coming 

first in South Africa in the National Examination in Engineering 

Science� As a result of company policy whereby all apprentices were 

required to terminate their employment on completion of their 

indentures (suspended in 1964), Renzo left Saiccor and joined AECI 

in Umbogintwini� In 1974 he formed his own instrument contracting 

company, Ultimate Instrument Contractors or UIC� The first job 

they did for Saiccor was the installation of the instrumentation for 

No 5 flock line in 1975� First screening followed, then the digester 

computerisation in 1979, by which time UIC had virtually become 

an extension to the Saiccor Instrument department� The major work 

that UIC undertook after that included the magnesium plant (electrics 

as well), the boiler house DCS, and the Mkomazi plant� UIC and 

Renzo Beltramini still do work for Saiccor� 

52 

Renzo Beltramini


Giuliano Piovesan, son of Pietro Piovesan (Waterworks) was the first 

of the Italian children to go to University in 1961� He studied 

engineering at Natal University and worked for Saiccor on the 

lignosulphonate pilot plant� Many followed Piovesan, as the Italian 

children proved to be excellent students� A number of university 

graduates, including Franco Mian, Fulvia Govetto, Giorgio Taverna, 

Gianni Ioppo and Cristina Meneghel worked for Saiccor for varying 

lengths of time, although most sought their fortunes elsewhere� 

Technikon graduates Luigi Mazzaro, Henry Zan and Lauro Chiccaro 

are having longer careers at Saiccor� Artisans Giordano Soldat, ‘Box’ 

Sguassero, Flavio Scarpa, Draughtsman Piero Simonetti, Mannie 

Rivetti, Loredana Rossetto and Mannie Wheeler have given many 

years’ service� Stefano Titton (grandson of Giovanni Casarin), Daniele 

Pavan (grandson of Romeo) and Marco Boem (Piero del Ponte’s 

grandson) were the first third generation Italians to be employed at 

Saiccor� Most of the Italian children have achieved successful careers� 

Those Italians who arrived in the mid fifties as twenty-something, 

were thirty-something in the sixties and their high spirited sporting 

life had become somewhat more sedate with family commitments� 

ITALIANITÀ 

1967 – Per mantenere vivo il senso di italianità in mezzo alla Collettività di Umkomaas è stata istituita spontaneamente 

una scuola di italiano presso la Missione Cattolica� Le famiglie interessate hanno appoggiato l’iniziativa del Sacerdote, 

don Ceselin, sostenendo la scuola con i propri mezzi, dando cosi la possibilità ai loro figli di mantenere, tramite la 

propria lingua, lo spirito e la cultura della loro Patria� “PICCOLI PIONIERI” è il titolo di questa foto che ritrae i figli 

degli emigranti di Umkomaas, assieme al loro insegnante, don Umberto Ceselin ed al collaboratore Stefano Rigotti� 

Da sin� (seduti) Daniele Roson, Gianni Loppo, Andrea Scarpa, Davis Cristin, Fabio Scorovig, Carlo Natali, Roberto 

Ambrosio, Marzio Pittich� - In piedi Nadia Scarpa, Sandra Pizzo, Anna Maria Tuzza, Maria Segatto, Nadia 

Martelossi, Carla Ambrosio, Laura Sabbatini, Claudia Scarpa, Carla Rivetti, Manuela Scarpa, Rose Mary Rocuzzi� 

53 

BELOW: “Small pioneers” of the 

Italian class at the Catholic 

mission


Cantacuzene admitted to not liking Kearton, and the feeling was 

probably mutual� Cantacuzene was an aristocrat who enjoyed 

socialising with his ilk (although he did count Edith Piaf and Maurice 

Chevalier among his friends), he was from a sales background and not 

at all technical� Kearton, by contrast, was a strong supporter of the 

Labour Party and also technically brilliant� It would seem inevitable 

that the two of them would find it difficult to work together at Saiccor, 

for which Kearton had a special affection� So in the latter half of 1965 

Kearton fired Cantacuzene, or as Cantacuzene put it: 

I was advised, quite out of the blue, by Courtaulds (London) that I was 

to go to London to take up an unspecified, non-autonomous position there� 

I replied to Frank Kearton, whom I did not like in any case, that I had no 

intention of leaving South Africa� This meant taking early retirement 

(age 52) which was not an easy decision to have taken, but I’m glad I 

did� It paid off in the end, and the latter half of my business life was both 

interesting and rewarding� On my last day at Saiccor (30 January 1966), 

I was handed a cable from Kearton, which read : 

‘Production cable of 29 January just received� Congratulations on 

excellent figures� It is a sobering thought to realise you have now passed 

the first million-ton mark� What a marvellous exit line - Regards Kearton�’ 

When he left Saiccor, Cantacuzene joined Timberit Woodboard 

(hardboard manufacturers) as Sales Director� In 1970 he joined Murray 

and Roberts in Johannesburg then moved to Paris as Managing 

Director of their International department, until he retired in 1982 

at age 69� In 1983 he moved to the United States where he wrote his 

memoirs, Trials and Tribulations of a Tumbleweed� He died at the end of 

1999 at age 87� Cantacuzene last visited Saiccor in 1987, where he 

made quite a rousing speech, in Italian, at the Italian Club, much to 

the delight of the Italians present� 

The Cantacuzene period (1952-1965) was very successful� 

Production increased from a design of 110 t/d to 396 t/d, almost a 

four-fold increase� In 1956 Dr van Eck had 

said ‘soon there may be similar factories 

along the Natal South Coast’; by the end of 

1965 there were the equivalent of almost 

four at Umkomaas� 

Productivity had increased from 39 t/a per 

man to 116 t/a per man, a threefold increase� 

The cumulative dividends paid out over the 

10 operating years amounted to R14 million, 

more than the R12 million share capital� 

At this stage the only weakness in the 

business was the quality of the pulp, which 

in some respects could not match pulp from 

Scandinavia and North America� 

Production – tons/ day, during the Cantacuzene era, 1952–1965 

54

The Yeomans’ Period (1966–1967) 

The Yeomans’ Period 

(1966 –1967) 

John Leslie Yeomans became 

Managing Director of Saiccor on 1 

February 1966� He had managed a 

groundnut plantation in North Africa 

before joining the purchasing 

department of Courtaulds� In 1961 

he became Courtaulds’ Deputy 

Chief Purchasing Officer, from where 

he negotiated all Saiccor pulp sales 

with Oakley Tainton (who was later 

to become Managing Director of 

Saiccor, in 1971)� He later became 

Chief Purchasing Officer� Being a 

product of British imperialism, he 

tended to be considered arrogant, 

which did not endear him to the 

people of Saiccor, and this was 

compounded by his sharp reaction 

to anything he did not consider 

proper� 

John Leslie Yeomans, Saiccor 

Managing Director 1966–1967 

55


From 28 January 1966 the Board comprised: H J van Eck 

(Chairman), W F Hastie,* C F Kearton,* G S J Kuschke, 

D R B Mynors,* O W Tainton and J L Yeomans�* In 

September 1967 Mynors resigned and was replaced by 

F C Aldred�* (*British) 

Paddy Brannigan rejoined Saiccor on 1 January 1966 as Chief Engineer 

and immediately re-organised the engineering department� Graham 

Mortimer became Deputy Chief Engineer but had functional 

responsibility for the electrical department, services and liquor plant� 

In January 1967 Brannigan was appointed to the Management 

Committee� John Earnshaw became Divisional Engineer for the 

woodyard to bleaching areas and Frank Rhodes for the drying plant, 

workshop and transport� 

Over this period production increased by 8 per cent per annum, 

evenly spread over the two sheeting machines and the flock plant� 

56 

Production t/d 

No 1 Continua No2 Continua Flock Total 

1965 134.1 141.3 125.2 400.6 

1966 144.4 150.9 137.3 432.6 

1967 157.5 162.3 148.0 467.8 

As no capital projects came on stream, the additional production came 

from improving plant availability and making relatively minor 

alterations to plant and equipment: 

Jan 1966 Pneumatic chip charging to Nos 7 and 10 digesters 

Jan 1966 No 8 Hagglund Tower started 

April 1966 Kamyr HD pump for flock 

Early 1967 Bleaching No 6 storage tower in operation 

June 1967 Flock bales increased from 440 to 500 lb to improve 

output of baling press 

June 1967 Installation of three oil-fired package boilers to 

overcome steam shortages 

!966–67 Higher-pressure steam to the sheeting machines 

From 1967, the maintenance philosophy was changed� The four-day 

annual factory shutdown was abandoned to be replaced by shorter, more 

frequent maintenance stops on small sections of the plant sequentially� 

At the beginning of 1967 design work started in the development 

department on a 50 t/d extension scheme� This was for another flock 

line (No 2 flock line), with a 20A atritor, Peabody furnace and a new 

baling press� Also part of the scheme was No 11 digester, vorjects in 

first screening, and a third water intake pump� Tom Fitzgerald


Tom Fitzgerald, the Chief Draughtsman, and Ciano Ioppo, by this 

time a project engineer, played leading roles in the design� Tom joined 

Saiccor on 1 July 1956 as Chief Draughtsman from the mines, a cheery 

man with a ready smile and a joke� He had been involved in all the 

Saiccor extension schemes up to that time, and continued to be until 

he retired in January 1976� He died in December 1993� 

Graziano (Ciano) Ioppo was born in Gorizia (Friuli) but grew up 

in Luxembourg� In 1943, at the age of 15, he joined SAICI as a 

translator for Alessandro Brunetti� With his natural artistic talent, 

he was soon transferred to the drawing office where he worked on 

the original design for Saiccor� He joined the Saiccor drawing office 

in May 1955 and became Deputy Chief Draughtsman in 1962� In 

1967 he became Projects Engineer and in 1974 Projects Manager� He 

played a leading role in all Saiccor projects until he retired at the end 

of August 1992� Ciano received a number of Italian decorations, 

culminating in Maestro del Lavoro in 1987� A great artist, he 

frequently did the sets for stage plays and produced cartoons for the 

Saiccor in-house magazine� 

A cartoon by Ciano Ioppo, which appeared in The Raypulp Recorder, August 1961 

57 

Ciano Ioppo


Foam on the beach at Clansthal, 1963, a result of Saiccor effluent in the surf 

The major project to come on stream in 1967 was 

the submarine effluent pipeline� The origins of 

this project go back to when the factory was 

commissioned and effluent was first put into the 

ocean at the Mkomazi River mouth, on 11 August 

1955� Effluent in the surf caused severe foaming 

and proved to be a nuisance to the people of 

Umkomaas� In October 1955 Errol Hay of 

Clansthal, whose property was on the shoreline, 

sent a letter of complaint to Cantacuzene� When 

Hay felt nothing had been done, he wrote to the 

Town Board and then to the Department of Water Affairs� The 

Department was concerned and approached Saiccor� 

In 1957, in an attempt to reduce the foam problem, the effluent 

was discharged directly into the river upstream of quarry bend� This 

had little effect, except to create some foam on the river as well, and 

the practice ceased at the end of July 1958� Hay’s persistent complaints 

to the Department resulted in a steering committee being formed to 

look into the issue� The committee comprised representatives from 

the SABS, the National Institute for Water Research, the Department 

of Health, the Department of Water Affairs, the Town Board, Saiccor 

and included Hay himself� Although they met at regular intervals 

from November 1958 to the end of 1962, little was achieved� 

On 26 June 1952 the Water Court granted Saiccor the right to 

abstract water at the rate of 20 million gallons per day (approximately 

3 800 m 3 /h) from the Mkomazi River� By the late 1950s, it was realised 

that this was not enough and further application would need to be 

made to the Water Court� When it was known that the Umkomaas 

Town Board would oppose the application, the Saiccor Board insisted 

58 

Foam at Scottburgh, a cause for 

concern (Natal Mercury, 

7 September 1961)


the best legal representation in the country be obtained� None less 

than Issy Maisles QC represented Saiccor at the Water Court (16 May 

1960)� Mr Justice Henochbert granted Saiccor the right to abstract a 

further 12 million gallons/day (approx� 2 200 m 3 /h), but there were a 

number of conditions� One of these was ‘The effluent should be treated 

and discharged in such a manner as not to create a nuisance’� 

This was all Errol Hay needed to rekindle his protest against the 

foam� He again wrote to Cantacuzene, Managing Director at the 

time, Dr Hendrik van Eck (Chairman of the Board), Water Affairs, 

and Douglas Mitchell, the local MP, who raised the issue in Parliament� 

Through their frequent encounters, Cantacuzene and the 80-yearold 

Hay struck up a friendship� When Cantacuzene divorced his wife 

Barbara, Hay introduced him to Pam, the daughter – whom Hay had 

known from birth – of one of his oldest friends in Johannesburg� 

Cantacuzene and Pam were married in August 1963� Hay died in 

Durban in 1965� 

After the Water Court judgement, Saiccor started looking for a 

solution to the effluent problem� The removal of lignosulphonates 

was the first attempt at a solution and the pilot plant was started in 

April 1961� The lignosulphonates market, however, was limited, and 

by October 1962 the Saiccor Board decided a submarine pipeline was 

the only solution� Campbell Bernstein and Irving (CBI) went out for 

tenders for a pipeline in April 1963� The project was given more 

urgency when, on 31 May 1963 the Department of Water Affairs 

closed down Anglo American’s titanium factory, Umgababa Minerals, 

for failing to comply with the conditions of their effluent permit� 

(The Department was under severe pressure from the South Coast 

Vigilance Association�) 

The tenders for the pipeline were shortlisted to Land and Marine 

(South Africa) and Collins Submarine Pipelines (USA)� In August 1963 

an order was placed with Texan Sam Collins for a 1½ mile (2,3 km), 

36 inch (914 mm) rubber-lined flanged steel pipe with diffusers over 

the last 300 m, all at a cost of R1 million� Collins was selected because 

he had bigger and better equipment (including a ‘Collins’ trenching 

machine) and relevant experience� A news brief of the contract award 

was released on 21 January 1964, which calmed critics and placated 

the Department of Water Affairs sufficiently to persuade them to 

renew Saiccor’s effluent permit in 1964� 

Work on the effluent pipe started in Saiccor’s development 

department in 1963� By August 1964 blasting of rock for the effluent 

pumphouse commenced and by September 1964, rubber-lined effluent 

pipes started arriving at Collins’ workshop in Durban� 

When Ted Beesley became Development Manager in January 1965, 

the effluent pipeline was Saiccor’s major project, but because of its 

high profile outside the company, Ted admits to being relegated to 

‘minute taker’ – nonetheless he was the man at the ‘coal face’� 

59 

Erroll Hay and 

Michel Cantacuzene, 1962 

Ted Beesley


After graduating as a chemical engineer from the University of 

Natal, Ted joined the Sugar Milling Research Institute, who soon 

sent him to do an 18-month graduate diploma at the University of 

Queensland� He later joined Illovo Sugar as a Production Manager, 

and in 1960 joined Saiccor as a Chemical Engineer in the development 

department� In 1965 he was appointed Development Manager and 

in 1973 Environmentalist, a position he held until he officially retired 

in 1991, from which time he has continued as a part time consultant� 

The pipeline project proceeded according to schedule up to 

November 1965; the pumphouse was completed in February, pipes 

started arriving on site in April, Mather & Platt 

effluent pumps arrived in April and between 4 and 

8 November 1965 the sea line section of the pipe 

was pulled into position� 

On the night of 8 November, however, the current 

changed to north-east and bent the empty pipe in a 

southerly direction� The bolted flanges (sealed with 

bitumen) were all leaking� The problem was then to 

‘trench’ the pipe and seal the flanges, both of which 

proved to be enormous challenges� Collins’ trenching 

machine did not work, and when his trenching barge 

went to Durban for repair, it was impounded and 

ordered by the courts to work on the two Durban 

pipelines, where Collins had fallen far behind 

schedule� 

Very heavy seas in May 1966 wrecked the Durban 

pipelines� The Saiccor pipeline, being full of water, 

was undamaged, and in fact the rough seas buried 

the pipe, solving one of Collins’ problems� The 

leaking flanges were eventually sealed by inserting 

stainless steel gaskets into the flanges from the inside 

of the pipe� Collins was at the time torn between 

the three pipelines, each with problems, and 

Pipeline construction for the discharge of effluent into the sea, 1965 

60


Dr Hendrik van Eck, Chairman of the Saiccor Board, turning on the 

switch in the pumphouse at the opening of the submarine effluent pipeline, 

10 March 1967 

consequently progress on all was painfully slow� The project had 

become a disaster and a public embarrassment� The Saiccor Board 

considered dismissing Collins but was not convinced anyone else 

could do any better� 

The Saiccor pipeline was finally completed in early March 1967, 

and was started at a grand opening ceremony attended by Dr van 

Eck and the Saiccor Board� Paddy Brannigan noted in the Factory 

Report that ‘The commissioning of the effluent pipeline on 10 March 

1967 was a great success and has eliminated our foam problem�’ 

From the end of 1965 to 1967 pulp quality deteriorated, particularly 

with respect to trash levels (i�e� ash)� Annual average figures were: 

ASH (ppm) BLOCKAGE CONSTANTS 

Sheet Flock Sheet Flock 

Total Si CaO Total Si CaO 

1965 914 54 661 1625 70 692 20 24 

1966 1043 59 699 1972 93 806 25 31 

1967 1168 78 807 2235 146 935 24 31 

The one improvement to quality was the installation of densification 

presses (from Farrel) on No 1 continua in November 1966, followed a 

month later on No 2 continua� This stopped sheets floating in caustic 

soda in the viscose factories� 

61


Courtaulds complained about the quality of Saiccor pulp� Fred 

Aldred believed the local management was at fault in that Yeomans 

was not technical and Reed was more interested in production and 

expansion projects� Aldred informed Kearton of his opinion� Yeomans 

was transferred back to Courtaulds at the end of August 1967, and 

was replaced by John Wharton, the Technical Manager at Courtaulds’ 

viscose plant at Mobile, Alabama� Ken Reed was made Technical 

Director (a Courtaulds nominee), relinquishing his responsibility for 

running the factory� In October 1967, D R B Mynors resigned from 

the Board, and was replaced by F C Aldred� 

62

The Wharton Period (1968–1970) 

The Wharton Period 

(1967 –1970) 

John Wharton was Technical 

Manager at Courtaulds’ viscose plant 

in Mobile before transferring to 

Saiccor as Managing Director from 

1 October 1967� His appointment 

was intended to focus Saiccor’s 

attention on quality, something that 

was generally acknowledged to 

be lacking at the end of his 

predecessor’s era� However, 

Wharton spent much of his energy 

on trivia, like insisting that the staff 

bus stops at the back door of the 

main block, not the front� This, 

coupled with a very short temper, 

detracted from his reputation and he 

was not considered a good manager� 

An Americanised Englishman, he is 

said to have found it impossible to 

drive a motor car with a manual 

gearbox! 

John Wharton, Managing Director 

1968–1970 

63


At the time of Wharton’s appointment, Ken Reed became 

Technical Director� From 1 October 1967 the Board 

comprised H J van Eck (Chairman), F C Aldred,* W F 

Hastie,* C F Kearton,* G S J Kuschke, K Reed,* O W 

Tainton and J Wharton�* (*British) 

Over the period of Wharton’s tenure, Hastie resigned in October 1968, 

Van Eck died on 18 February 1970, Kuschke became Chairman in 

March 1970 and A J van den Berg was appointed an IDC 

representative� 

With Reed’s move, Harry ‘Paddy’ Brannigan became Works 

Manager from 1 October 1967� Brannigan was an Irish electrician 

who came to South Africa to work on the mines� He joined Saiccor 

on 1 March 1959 as Mechanical Engineer, left at the end of 1961, but 

rejoined as Chief Engineer on 1 January 1966� Paddy was appointed 

to the Board on 8 October 1971 and remained as Works Director until 

he retired in July 1982 to run his chicken farm� He committed suicide 

in 1984� Paddy was a very dynamic man who constantly drove 

production while energetically putting together one expansion plan 

after another� 

Production increased by 27 per cent over the Wharton period� The 

increase was all flock pulp, which went from 148 t/d in 1967 to 274 

t/d in 1970, while the two sheeting machines averaged about 160 t/ 

d each over the period� 

1967 468 t/d 1968 525 t/d 

1969 585 t/d 1970 594 t/d 

All the increased production came from 

expansion projects� This was a very busy 

period for projects� 

Design work on a 50 t/d expansion 

scheme started in the Development 

department at the beginning of 1967, 

which included another flock line (No 2 

line) with a 2OA atritor and a baling press, 

No 11 digester, vorjects for first screening, 

and a third river pump� To enable No 7 

filter to cope with the additional flock 

capacity, a sidehill screen was to be 

installed before the filter, to do some of 

the dewatering� Orders were placed from 

April 1967 and plant was commissioned 

early in 1968; No 11 digester on 8 January, 

flock line on 1 April, vorjects on 30 April, 

Flock bales, line 3 

64 

Siegfried Kuschke, 

Chairman 1970–1971 

Paddy Brannigan


No 5 boiler and the new chimney, 1969 

and the river pump in May 1968� In March 1968 a third slurry press 

was ordered for the flock plant and was commissioned in November 

1968� 

In May 1968, the partners approved a scheme to increase production 

to 235 000 s�tons per annum (584 t/d) which included a new boiler 

(No 5) and chimney, No 12 digester (that would have a cyclone for 

faster loading), another pressure washer after the washpits, four 

blending towers to smooth out the batch process of digesters, another 

Kamyr filter in first screening and a duplicate filter (No 3A) for the 

caustic stage in bleaching� Orders were placed from June 1968 and 

commissioning took place from early in 1969� No 12 digester April 

1969, chimney and No 3A filter 17 April, No 5 boiler on 7 August, 

three blending towers on 26 August, the fourth tower and No 3 Repola 

in March 1970� 

In May 1968 wattle was cooked at high pressure (10,4 bar) in No 

11 digester (the first high-pressure digester)� The pulp quality from 

this wattle cook was much improved� In October 1968 the Board 

approved a scheme to handle and cook wattle separately, which 

entailed a wattle silo (No 4) and a Rader pneumatic loading system 

for all digesters, with a large blower, cyclones and steam packing on 

each digester as opposed to the old system where chips were dropped 

from a conveyor through a chute into the digester� The first digester 

was connected to the blowing system in June 1970, and all the other 

digesters followed within two months� No 4 silo started in September 

1970� 

In May 1969 the Board approved a 280 000 s� ton per annum (696 

t/d) extension scheme consisting of a new 375 t/d Kamyr diffusion 

65


bleach plant and extending No 2 continua dryer for a capacity of 260 

s� t/d (236 t/d)� The dryer was extended between 6 and 22 November 

1970 (at which time the Pope reeler was dismantled)� There were 

numerous teething problems, but by April 1971 the machine achieved 

245 t/d at an availability of 95 per cent� There were delays in the 

delivery of the diffusion screens for the bleach plant and the plant 

was only started up on 15 March 1971� 

Frank Rhodes (left) and Giorgio Natali in the diffusion bleach plant, 1972 

In addition to these major extensions, there were a number of smaller 

projects undertaken over the period� 

September 1968: centriscreens were commissioned in second 

screening to prevent blockages in the centricleaners� 

October 1968: a steam mixer was installed in the flock plant to 

heat the pulp gong to the slurry presses to improve drainage; the 

sidehill screen on No 7 filter was enlarged� 

March 1969: the installation of No 13 digester was approved, 

commissioned 4 February 1970� Also the strengthening of No 9 

and 10 digesters to operate at 10-bar, completed April 1970� 

May 1969: 8-bar steam to No 1 continua dryer and in October 

11-bar and machine speed up to 56 m/min� 

September 1969: ordered an atritor system for grinding limestone, 

commissioned in January 1971� 

October 1969: ordered No 3 Simon Carves sulphur burner, 

commissioned in October 1970� 

December 1969: Hick-Hargreaves chilling plant commissioned in 

the liquor plant, flocculant introduced to help settle solids in 

cooking liquor, anthracite/sand used in the water works filters� 

Although quality was a major focus of attention over the Wharton 

period, pulp quality parameters changed very little until late in 1970� 

In fact as flock pulp became a higher proportion of Saiccor’s total 

66


output, overall quality deteriorated slightly� The quality of flock was 

always inferior to sheet, in that it had higher KWs and impurities 

and lower brightness (where sheet had 96 units of brightness flock 

had 89, as flock came into direct contact with air at 500 °C it was 

slightly charred)� In addition, although the flock bale was a solid piece 

of compressed pulp, it had a soft end, and a piece of the bale about 

250 mm long would often break off in transit, causing a housekeeping 

nightmare for the viscose factories� 

Trials from November 1967 showed that spent acid from the 

chlorine dioxide plant and filtrate from the chlorine stage in bleaching 

when used in the washpits could reduce calcium levels by up to 200 

ppm, but no permanent installation for this was undertaken� 

After separate wattle cooking was commissioned in September 

1970, KW values came down to 18 in sheet and 21 in flock� At about 

the same time additional vorject plant in first screening started 

lowering the shives� 

From 1968 resin content in the pulp started being measured� Values 

of 0,30 – 0,33 per cent were measured, which is considerably higher 

than present levels of 0,05 – 0,12 per cent� 

Silica levels in flock seemed to benefit from the sidehill screen added 

to the thickening filter (No 7) after second screening, a further benefit 

was seen when the screen was extended� Quality parameters over 

the period were: 

SHEET FLOCK 

KW Ash CaO Si Resin KW Ash CaO Si 

ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm 

1967 24 1168 807 78 – 31 2235 935 146 

1968 25 1126 791 62 0.31 29 2090 871 93 

1969 24 1156 781 61 0.30 29 1391 730 64 

1970 21 1224 879 53 0.31 24 1904 880 59 

Although the effluent pipeline worked adequately, the nuisance 

caused by the effluent had not disappeared� Foam still appeared from 

time to time and was treated with defoamer� While the extent of the 

foam was considerably less than before, it still gave rise to complaints� 

In July 1968 a public meeting was held where Saiccor and the 

Department of Water Affairs addressed people’s concerns, among 

which was the effect effluent could have on sea life� In August 1968 

Saiccor appointed an effluent officer, from the laboratory, to 

constantly patrol the beaches� 

The effluent pipeline worked satisfactorily but the pumps were 

troublesome� On 17 March 1970 Paddy Brannigan wrote in the factory 

report: ‘One of the effluent pumps failed in service, the casing having 

67


fractured right round� This failure is a repeat of a previous pump and 

appears to be a design fault� It is hoped that the modifications which 

are being made by the suppliers, will in due course give us a reliable 

installation�’ 

Kearton took the matter up with the suppliers, Mather & Platt, 

and sent the following letter to Wharton� 

Mr� J� Wharton, 

South African Industrial Cellulose 

Corporation (Pty�) Ltd�, 

P�O� Box 62, 

Umkomaas, Natal� 

Dear John 

68 

27 April, 1970 

I hope you got back safely, refreshed and stimulated by your overseas trip� 

I noticed in Brannigan’s monthly report a complaint about the effluent pumps� I sent a 

copy of the complaint to Sir William Mather (copy of my letter enclosed)� 

I have now had a reply from Sir William – a copy of which I also enclose� It seems to me 

you ought to take the opportunity of his goodwill to make a considerable claim on him for 

the inconvenience caused to Saiccor! 

Yours sincerely 

C�F� Kearton 

c�c� Mr H Brannigan 

The pumps were modified and did become a reliable installation� 

When Brannigan was appointed Works Manager in October 1967, 

he continued to carry the responsibilities of Chief Engineer 

throughout this period (1968–1970)� There were no other changes to 

senior positions in the engineering department� 

In the production department, the increasing amount of processing 

plant created the need for additional production managers� On 1 

January 1967 Giovanni Baldin was appointed joint Production Manager 

with Gino Rivetti� Baldin had responsibility for bleaching and drying 

and Rivetti the remainder� Martin Ferreira replaced Baldin as a Shift 

Superintendent� Baldin resigned at the end of November 1969 and was 

replaced by Bepi Martelossi, who in turn was replaced by Strath Redding 

(from the laboratory) as a Superintendent� At the end of January 1970, 

Ugo Testa resigned to join Usutu, and was replaced as a Superintendent 

by Silvano Moro� From May 1969 John Davey took over from Bert 

Beatie as a Woodyard Superintendent, and Bert moved to Stores�


The installation of the two effluent pumps, June 1965 

In August 1970 Marino Cudin was appointed the third Production 

Manager, with Gino Rivetti being Senior Production Manager� Cudin 

had responsibility for liquor making, digesters and first screening, 

Rivetti for bleaching and the chemical plant, and Martelossi for the 

drying plants� Aldo Rossetto (from the electrical department) replaced 

Cudin as a Superintendent in January 1971� 

Domenico Sabbatini, who had become Laboratory Manager when 

Pat Roche returned to Courtaulds in 1967, resigned at the end of 

November 1969� He was replaced by Bryan Thomas� 

In April 1967 Roy Fortune resigned as Personnel Officer and was 

replaced by Alistair Lightbody� 

The major personnel problem from 1966 to 1970 was a countrywide 

shortage of good artisans� Recruitment extended to both Italy and the UK� 

In 1969 Bruna Segatto (wife of Attilio), started making and selling 

pasta in Umkomaas, from the Golden Apple Café on the corner of 

Brad and Bisset streets� Business was encouraging and the four 

Segatto’s – Bruna, Attilio, Basilio and Dirce – then set up a pasta 

“manufactory” business diagonally opposite the Golden Apple� With 

new machines and brisk business, production expanded to reach 100 

to 150 kg/day� The pasta, known as Pastificio Italiano Bruna e Attilio, 

was sold throughout Natal� However, much time and effort were 

required to keep the machinery going, which started to interfere with 

Attilio and Basilio’s work at Saiccor, and in 1978 they sold the 

“manufactory” to Graham Anderson and Ronnie Kruger� The business 

was shortlived, however, and the premises became a greengrocery� 

The pasta machines were bought by Elio Rossi, who made pasta for 

a while before selling the machines to Bruno Scorovic in Swaziland� 

These machines are apparently still being used by Bruno’s sons� 

69


Achille Fontana, from Teor in Friuli, joined Saiccor on 6 August 

1954 as a 21-year-old fitter� By the late 1960s he had become expert 

on the hydraulics of the flock baling presses, but was starting to 

become frustrated with his lack of promotion� In 1968 he formed a 

company, Fontana Art Metals, and in his spare time started making 

brass tabletops and headboards in his house� In 1970 Achille resigned 

from Saiccor to work fulltime at Fontana Art Metals, increasing his 

product range to include wrought iron gates and burglar guards� In 

1972 he started making locking rings for steel drums and the business 

took off� As the business grew, technology was improved and the 

range of products offered to the drum industry was expanded� 

In 1979 Achille’s son Raoul was apprenticed as a fitter and turner at 

Saiccor� After serving his apprenticeship he worked in Italy for six months 

before joining Fontana Art Metals in 1982� As Raoul developed in the 

business, Achille started spending more and more time on the farm he 

had bought in Ilfracombe in 1981, soon becoming a very professional 

and successful farmer� Achille died suddenly in July 1989� 

Raoul continued to expand the business to include components for 

fibre and plastic drums� Further diversification followed, including wire 

products and specialised press components, and finally a plastics division� 

In 2000 the company name was changed to Fontana 

Manufacturers, to more accurately reflect its business of 

manufacturing industrial components for the packaging industry� 

Today the company makes approximately 600 million components 

per annum for local industries, plus exports to Australia, the UK, 

France, Germany, the USA and Asia� 

At the Saiccor management meeting on 2 October 1970, Wharton 

announced that he would be returning to the United 

States in the near future to work on a special project for 

Courtaulds, and that Tainton had been appointed 

Managing Director of Saiccor with immediate effect� The 

management committee paid tribute to Wharton for 

initiating the 240 000/280 000 ton expansion schemes 

and expressed their regret that he would not see their 

full implementation� Wharton left Saiccor, but remained 

on the Board until 8 October 1971� 

When Ted Beesley congratulated Tainton on his 

appointment, Tainton commented, ‘It’s about bloody 

time�’ 

Production had increased steadily over the period 1966– 

1970 (the Yeomans and Wharton periods), largely because 

of expansion programmes� By 1970, the end of Wharton’s 

tenure as Managing Director, Saiccor was supplying 

approximately half of Courtaulds’ dissolving pulp 

requirements� 

70 

Achille Fontana 

Raoul Fontana 

Production during the Yeomans and Wharton 

periods, 1966–1970

The Tainton Period (1971–1983) 

The Tainton Period 

(1971 –1983) 

Oakley Warwick Tainton was a 

chemical engineer who joined the 

IDC in 1946 to work on the Sasol I 

project� He was involved in the 

Saiccor project from the very 

beginning, claiming that he was one 

of three men who went up the 

Mkomazi River in a boat to select 

the site for the factory� 

Tainton had a very brusque, 

aggressive manner, but his 

gaucheness effectively disguised a 

very soft core� He managed by 

delegating responsibility but 

demanding accountability� He 

joined Saiccor on 1 March 1953 as 

Commercial Adviser, later changed 

to Commercial Manager, and was 

appointed to the Board in October 

Oakley Warwick Tainton, 


1964� He became Managing Director on 2 October 1970 and Chairman on 1 April 

1980� 

Tainton retired on 1 April 1983 but remained on the Usutu Board until the end of 

December 1984 and the Saiccor Board until March 1985� He died in 1991� 

71


From October 1970 the Board comprised: GS J Kuschke 

(Chairman), FC Aldred,* CF Kearton,* K Reed,* OW 

Tainton, AJ van den Berg and J Wharton�* (British) 

Over this period, changes to the Board were: 

G S J Kuschke died on 27 July 1971 – replaced by J J Kitshoff 

J L van der Walt (Forests) appointed 7 May 1973 

J Wharton resigned 8 October 1971 – replaced by H Brannigan 

A J van den Berg resigned – replaced by P J van Rooy 

Lord Kearton retired 14 November 1975 – replaced by Sir Arthur 

Knight (Chairman of Courtaulds) 

K Reed retired in December 1975 – replaced by J A Carrick 

N S Wooding replaced Sir Arthur Knight March 1977 

J A Carrick retired July 1978 

F C Aldred resigned 1 August 1979 – replaced by J R Wrangham 

J J Kitshoff retired 1 April 1980 – Tainton became Chairman 

D N A Hunt-Davis replaced Kitshoff, but never attended a meeting, 

resigning (from the IDC as well) at the end of October 1981 

M Macdonald appointed IDC representative March 1982 

Brannigan retired 30 June 1982 – replaced by N Boulter 

Tainton retired as Chairman 31 March 1983 – N S Wooding appointed 

Chairman 

Lord Kearton retired at the end of 1975 and wrote to the Saiccor Board 

conveying his great pleasure in having served the company from its 

inception� 

Johan van der Walt was a forester who joined Saiccor’s forests in 

its earliest days� On 1 July 1960 he was appointed a Director of both 

Saligna Forestry and Waterton Timbers, and a few years later 

Managing Director of both� In the early 1970s he was also appointed 

to both the Saiccor and Usutu Boards, remaining on both until he 

retired in 1988� He died in 2000� 

Johan’s management style was very ‘hands-on’ and autocratic, 

but he ran a very successful operation for more than 20 years, 

constantly making profits (20–25 per cent of Saiccor’s profits) while 

keeping Saiccor supplied with timber, at a good price� He also ran 

what was considered by many to be the best saw milling operation 

in the world� 

On 1 October 1971 John Earnshaw was appointed Chief Engineer� 

An ex-RAF fighter pilot, Earnshaw had come to South Africa via ICI 

to work for AECI in Modderfontein� He joined Saiccor in May 1964 

as Services Engineer and on 1 January 1966 was appointed Divisional 

Engineer (woodyard to bleaching)� Earnshaw was appointed to the 

Management Committee in July 1973� Although not technically 

strong, John was successful by being aggressive and a good manager 

72 

J J Kitshoff, Chairman 

1971–1980 

Johan van der Walt 

John Earnshaw


with an uncanny ability to select the right man to solve the right 

problem� 

At the same time as Earnshaw was appointed Chief Engineer, two 

certificated engineers, Ben Curtis and Deon Hughes, were engaged� 

The engineering department reorganised as follows: 

Frank Rhodes became Divisional Engineer Pulp Finishing (bleaching 

and drying), with Giorgio Natali as his assistant� Deon Hughes 

became Divisional Engineer Pulp Preparation (up to bleaching) with 

Piero Mian as his assistant, and Ben Curtis was Services Engineer 

(including workshops and training) with Gino Salotto as his assistant� 

Frank Rhodes was an engineer in the merchant navy before joining 

Saiccor at the beginning of 1962 as Services Engineer� In August 1963 

he became Mechanical Engineer in charge of the workshops, and in 

January 1966 Divisional Engineer for the drying plants, workshops 

and transport� In October 1971 he was appointed Divisional Engineer 

for Pulp Finishing (bleaching and drying)� From 1977 he worked on 

remodelling the stores� A man with a sharp sense of humour and 

fun, Frank enjoyed everything he did� He retired at the end of February 

1981 and died on 24 December 1997� 

Deon Hughes resigned at the end of August 1972 and was replaced 

by Mike Brull from 15 January 1973� Mike worked tirelessly as 

Divisional Engineer until 1979 and then on special projects, including 

being the competent person for all statutory boiler inspections, until 

he retired on 31 March 1994� Graham Mortimer retired at the end of 

April 1973, leaving Bruno Trevisan to run the electrical department 

until Jimmy McFeat was engaged from 1 September 1973� Jimmy 

was a sound graduate engineer who never allowed anything to disturb 

his equilibrium� He remained electrical engineer until he retired on 1 

October 1989� 

The recruitment of artisans was still a major problem and it was 

agreed to put more emphasis on training artisans� An apprentice 

training scheme was set up and in July 1973 Ado Magrin was 

transferred from the mechanical workshop to take charge of 

apprentice training, which he did until he retired at the end of 

February 1976� 

Attilio Segatto succeeded Magrin as Workshop Superintendent in 

July 1973� Attilio, a ‘Godfather’-type character, soon became known 

as Mr Modificato because of his penchant for altering equipment 

that came into the workshop� Most of these modifications worked, 

and some were extremely innovative� Attilio remained Workshop 

Superintendent until he retired on 31 March 1989� 

During this period, a close working relationship developed with 

two outside engineering companies that eventually became 

extensions of Saiccor’s engineering department� Durban Engineering 

was set up by Elio Rossi in Durban to service the paper industry 

before Saiccor started� He did some workshop work and much 

73 

Frank Rhodes 

Mike Brull 

Jimmy McFeat


construction work for Saiccor� Many of the 

contractors working at Saiccor today are 

siblings of Elio Rossi’s Durban Engineering 

(which became ND Engineering), namely 

EMV, AE, Gordeen and Kenren� The other 

company was Spare Parts, a machine shop 

set up by the two highly innovative 

Davidson brothers, David and Fred� Spare 

Parts adapted themselves to meet Saiccor’s 

requirements and became largely a Saiccor 

workshop� 

To deal with the processing difficulties 

experienced with the new plants (No 2 

continua rebuild and No 2 bleaching), the 

process investigation department was set up 

in May 1971 under Bryan Thomas (who was 

replaced as Chief Chemist by Attie du Plooy)� Two chemical engineers, 

John Thompson and John Fletcher, were transferred to the department 

but both resigned soon after� They were replaced in June 1971 by 

Tony Butler and in May 1972 by me� 

In October 1972 Alec Thomson was appointed Assistant to the 

Managing Director, Don Campbell Cost Accountant and Jimmy 

McInnes became Works Accountant� Don, a dour Scot and a CA, 

joined Saiccor on 1 May 1971� In September 1971 he was booked 

off IOD for injuries sustained at the Saiccor gate when a car driven 

by his wife knocked him down� Don was appointed Company 

Secretary on 6 January 1978 and retired at the end of September 

1986� 

Jimmy McInnes joined Saiccor on 1 September 1955 as an 

accountant� He was a reserved man who always seemed to have a 

pencil in his mouth� He surprised everyone when he married one of 

Saiccor’s first nursing sisters, Heidy von Wartburg� A competent 

accountant, a keen hiker and an avid home beer maker, Jimmy retired 

on 28 February 1989� 

Alec Thomson, who was appointed to the Management 

Committee in July 1973, found it difficult to work with Tainton and 

resigned at the end of September 1973� 

In September 1971 Dr D Lapping, Saiccor’s first medical officer, 

retired� He was replaced by Dr Ken Wemys� 

Kier Murray joined Saiccor as a Buyer on 10 May 1954� On 1 

January 1970 he was appointed Chief Purchasing Officer after Stan 

Gay retired, and held this position until he retired on 30 June 1991� 

Kier was a man of immaculate appearance with never a hair out of 

place and a calm manner that could never be ruffled� 

Frank Turner was Shipping Manager until he retired on 30 April 

1977� He was responsible for all in and outward bound traffic� His 

74 

Ado Magrin (LEFT) and 

Attilio Segatto 

Don Campbell 

Jimmy McInnes


major challenge, however, was dealing with Tainton who terrified 

and terrorised him� That he still managed to get all raw materials in, 

and pulp out (as bales and in mixed cargo ships), with Tainton on his 

back, is a credit to his tenacity� 

Fred Eddleston joined Saiccor in December 1970 as Personnel 

Manager and a member of the Management Committee� 

Because of the supervision required on the new plants (rebuild of 

No 2 continua and No 2 bleaching), it was agreed to go from five to 

nine shift superintendents from the beginning of 1972� The process 

plant was divided into two sections, Pulp Preparation (up to bleaching) 

and Pulp Finishing (from bleaching onwards), each section with its 

own superintendent� From 1 January 1972, Eridanio di Marco and 

Alistair Macbeth were appointed to Pulp Preparation from the 

laboratory, Piet de Jager and Ernesto Cristin were appointed to Pulp 

Finishing from the plant� Each new superintendent worked with one 

of the old ones (Zan, Ferreira, Redding, Moro and Rossetto) who were 

seniors and had the final decision� Ennio Zan relieved production 

managers, trained operators and conducted special investigations, 

hence Fiorenzo Malisan was appointed to Pulp Preparation from 1 


Following criticism that Saiccor’s effluent was polluting the upper 

South Coast, Tainton wrote to all known interested and affected 

parties, and the media, inviting them to an open day at Saiccor on 1 

December 1970� ‘The purpose of this occasion is to discuss frankly, 

and openly, the question of effluent and its effects on marine life 

and humans’, the invitation letter read� Some 50 people attended� 

In his address at the open day, Tainton said, ‘Growing 

industrialisation and the increase in pollution will make ever-growing 

inroads on our ecology and environment� Industry and private 

individuals must combine as a team to combat this� No business 

organisation however large, can tackle this problem on its own�’ 

He added that the National Institute for Water Research had been 

studying the marine life of Umkomaas beaches and the vicinity of 

the pipeline for five years, and could not find any detrimental effect� 

Also, before using a solution of lignosulphonates on the roads in the 

Kruger National Park in the 1960s, the possible effects on animals 

was tested at the Department of Agriculture at Onderstepoort and 

found harmless� For example, a sheep was given 50 g doses of pure 

lignosulphonate powder mixed with its food rations every day for 

30 days, without any detrimental effect whatsoever� Tainton went 

on to say the effluent in the pipeline contained 7 000 ppm dissolved 

solids, in the seawater above the outlet 150 ppm and on the beach up 

to 3 ppm� 

To demonstrate how harmless the effluent was, he drank a sample 100 

times more concentrated than that which could be found on the beach� 

75


The open day was considered a great success by the Board 

and Management� One newspaper headline read ‘Saiccor 

Silences Critics’� 

At the time Tainton made it known that Saiccor was a 

R23-million enterprise that exported some R24-million a 

year, a significant contribution to South Africa’s foreign 

exchange earnings� Saiccor employed over 5 000 people in 

the factory and forests, and paid over R3-million annually 

in salaries and wages� More than 2 000 t/d of timber and 

400 t/d of coal were used� 

The hills around Saiccor rang to the cries of ‘Bayete!’ when 

Prince Goodwill, then Paramount Chief of the Zulu nation, 

and an entourage of about 30, including Chief Advisor, 

Prince Clement and his aunt, Mrs A J Mnguni, visited 

Magabeni and the factory in August 1972� In a welcome 

address, Tainton assured the Prince that Saiccor considered 

their Zulu employees an asset to the company and 

endeavoured to provide extremely favourable terms of 

employment� The Prince replied that he was happy to know 

what the factory was doing in order to uplift the Zulu people; he 

was pleased to see his people in charge of departments and that they 

were given incentives to improve themselves, and very pleased also 

to have seen that people were examined at the factory on the basis of 

ability and not colour� 

Prince Goodwill (SECOND FROM THE LEFT), with Paddy Brannigan and 

Oakley Tainton, on a visit to the Saiccor factory, 1972 

76 

Tainton drinking a sample of 

effluent 100 times more 

concentrated than that found on 

the beach, 1970 

Prince Goodwill, Prince Clement, 

Mrs A J Mnguni and Paddy 

Brannigan, during a visit by the 

Paramount Chief of the Zulus to 

Saiccor in 1972, inspecting a sheet 

of pulp


Production at Saiccor increased from 594 t/d in 1970 to 725 t/d in 

1975 (22 per cent) as a result of consolidating the new plant (rebuilt 

No 2 continua and No 2 bleaching), ironing out some production 

bottlenecks and some relatively minor capital expenditure (No 4 flock 

line and No 14 digester)� Of the increased output of 135 t/d, 65 t/d 

came from No 2 continua, 30 t/d from No 4 flock line and 40 t/d 

from fine tuning all plants� Over this period significant changes 

occurred in the supply of machine clothing that improved availability 

of both pulp machines� The original machine wires were phosphorbronze, 

which did not have a long life� The first change was to nylon, 

but these just kept stretching� In the early 1970s, stainless steel was 

used, the life was far better, and by the mid-70s synthetic fabrics 

became available, with an outstanding lifetime of 18 months� The 

original felts were wool, which lasted a week or two� The first 

synthetic felts were introduced in late 1972 and were soon used 

throughout as they lasted up to a year� 

No 2 continua was troublesome after the rebuild� Moisture control 

was difficult, and there were far too many sheet breaks� Bryan Thomas 

spent much time analysing the cause of the problems, with some 

success� But one man, who day and night nursed and coaxed this 

most temperamental of all machines to great heights over the next 

20 years, was Production Manager Giuseppe Giovanni Antonio 

Martelossi, called Bepi� Bepi was born on 12 May 1928 in Gonars 

and joined SAICI in 1944� He came to Saiccor on 4 October 1954 as 

a Pipe Fitter� Once the factory was operating, he became an operator 

in the bleaching plant and then a chargehand� 

Bepi Martelossi with makeshift choir 

77 

Bepi Martelossi


In 1960 he was appointed Shift Superintendent and then joint 

Production Manager on 1 December 1969� He suffered a stroke in 

1990 and another in 1991, and died on 26 May 1991� A proud strong 

man, dedicated to Saiccor, he was decorated by the Italian Consul in 

June 1977 for his services to industry and the community� He was 

blessed with a rich bass voice and loved to sing, particularly with his 

wife Ilva, and would form and conduct a choir at any gathering� 

No 2 continua struggled to 213 t/d in 1971 and then settled at 

around 225 t/d for the next four years (it reached a peak of 260 t/d in 

1979)� 

No 2 bleaching was the second diffusion bleach plant sold by 

Kamyr� In this plant pulp at the top of each chemical stage was washed 

between five concentric screen rings rather than washing filters� The 

plant required less energy and chemicals than a conventional plant, 

as the washing was done at high consistency� The plant was designed 

and developed by Ole Richter of Kamyr, son of Johan, the ‘father’ of 

the continuous digester� 

Ole, one of the true characters of the pulp and paper industry, was 

a frequent visitor to Saiccor in the early 1970s� Big and blonde, he 

was a Viking with the constitution of an 

ox! He could drink whisky until 4 am and 

be bright eyed at 7 am ready for a 12-hour 

working day� His father Johan once 

quipped: ‘Ole, I got the idea for the 

continuous digester by watching you eat�’ 

The plant was four-stage: chlorine, caustic 

soda, chlorine dioxide and hypochlorite� The 

first stage was at 3 per cent consistency and 

the others at 10 per cent� To cater for this, 

the first stage ‘diffuser’ had a double screen, 

the bottom one to thicken the pulp from 3 

to 10 per cent and the top one to wash the 

pulp� The first problem experienced after the 

plant started up on 15 March 1971 proved 

to be the thickening screen, which could not 

achieve 10 per cent consistency� Kamyr 

battled for the first few months to solve the 

problem, but were forced to slowly raise the 

chlorination consistency from 3 to 5 per cent� 

Numerous other problems followed, such as 

the hydraulics that drove the screen slowly 

up 150 mm and then rapidly down in 0,5 

seconds, the mechanical connections 

between the screens and the hydraulic 

cylinders, and the control of the pressure 

drop across the screens� Diffuser screens 

78


In the middle of 1972 I was put in charge of No 2 bleaching� It had 

become necessary to have someone to devote all his time to the plant, 

and to liaise with Richter and his South African agent, Allan Lofstrand� 

This was in addition to the normal staff who supervised the bleaching 

plants: Production Manager Gino Rivetti, his deputy Ennio Zan, 

Divisional Engineer Frank Rhodes, his assistant Giorgio Natali and 

Chargehand Bepi Biral� 

Gino Rivetti was born on 18 January 1922, in Cervignano del Friuli� 

He joined SAICI in 1938 and came to Saiccor as a Shift Superintendent 

on 28 April 1955 to start up the factory� He was appointed Production 

Manager on 1 March 1960 and Senior Production Manager on 1 

August 1970� He retired on 1 December 1984 to run a restaurant in 

Dundee with his wife and daughter� Gino was a meticulous man 

who knew the entire factory like the back of his hand, particularly 

the complicated water system� A fine manager who constantly drove 

people to perform better – a most serious man inside the factory and 

a most jovial man outside� 

Ennio Zan was born on 20 May 1929 in Vittorio Veneto� He came 

to Saiccor on 6 August 1954 as a fitter and on 1 August 1963 was 

transferred to the production department as a Shift Superintendent� 

From 1972 he deputised for production managers and trained 

operators� He was appointed Production Manager on 13 January 1981 

and retired on 31 December 1992� He died on 28 January 1997� Ennio 

was the least excitable Italian, a man who combined his training as 

an artisan with a sound understanding of production� In his spare 

time he was a keen and excellent fisherman� 

Giorgio Natali was born on 8 July 1931 in San Giorgio di Nogaro 

and came to Saiccor on 24 June 1954 as a fitter� He soon became 

Chargehand of the ‘capital team’, who from 1958 built all new plant� 

The capital team was disbanded when the engineering department 

was reorganised in 1970 and Giorgio became Mechanical Engineering 

Assistant on 1 October 1970� 

On 1 October he became Divisional Engineer of the magnesium 

plant, a position he held until he retired at the end of December 1992� 

He died on 17 November 1999� Giorgio was a man who held very 

firm opinions; he was dedicated to his career and had wide-ranging 

expertise across all of Saiccor� After he retired he became a very 

professional model ship builder� 

Bepi Biral was born on 3 November 1927 in Vittorio Veneto and 

came to Saiccor on 6 August 1954 as a fitter� He was appointed a 

chargehand in Bleaching in 1970, an Assistant Divisional Engineer 

on 1 September 1982 and Divisional Engineer on 1 June 1987, a 

position he held until he retired at the end of May 1991� Bepi was a 

quiet man who devoted his life to his work and his family� 

With all the care and attention showered on No 2 bleaching, the 

plant settled down and towards the end of 1972 was achieving design 

79 

Gino Rivetti 

Ennio Zan 

Giorgio Natali 

Bepi Biral


throughputs� However, signs of corrosion on the screens had been 

observed� In January 1973 metallurgist Prof� Paul Robinson of the 

University of the Witwatersrand was called in to examine the 

corrosion� His conclusion was that pitting, crevice and stress corrosion 

were taking place, particularly in the chlorine and chlorine dioxide 

stages, and that either the process conditions (chlorides about 1 200 

ppm, temperature 50 °C and above) or the material would have to be 

changed� Neither was possible at the time (it was only some years 

later that Kamyr developed titanium screens)� Corrosion continued, 

and was continually repaired� Despite the plant running quite steadily, 

the corrosion became a losing battle� By the middle of 1975 severe 

corrosion cracking had taken place in the chlorine stage screens� Major 

repairs were effected but by September 1975 severe cracking again 

appeared� The decision was taken to cut out the screens and replace 

them with washing filters� The chlorine screen was cut out 

immediately and the plant restarted with all stages at low consistency 

and no washing after the chlorine stage� 

A filter building was erected adjacent to the plant and the first 

washing filter was constructed from a spare Kamyr M57 drum, which 

was started as a chlorine washer in March 1976� By this time three 

Impco washers had been located in the US for immediate delivery� 

After the Impco washers arrived, the diffusion screens were cut out 

one after the other, approximately one month apart – the M57 washer 

was changed to the chlorine dioxide stage� Towards the end of 1976 

the diffusion bleach plant was gone – the screens were used to make 

tiles for the washpit floors; strangely the screens from the hypo stage 

were in perfect condition� 

The only capital projects to come on stream before the end of 1975 

were No 4 flock line and No 14 digester� No 4 flock line consisted of a 

17A atritor and a small Hamworthy furnace which fed some 30 t/d 

to the pulp from No 2 line, with the combined stream going to No 2 

baling press� No 4 flock line was commissioned in February 1973� 

The Board approved No 14 digester on 6 October 1972, for R340 000, 

and it started cooking in October 1973� 

Commissioning of No 5 flock line started in September 1975, but 

made little contribution to production until 1976� 

Towards the end of 1975 Lord Kearton retired� Although he last visited 

Saiccor in October 1974, he remained a major driving force at Saiccor 

until he retired from the Board on 14 November 1975� 

After Kearton left, Courtaulds made it known they were no longer going 

to carry out research on pulping for Saiccor, and further that they were 

going to look at Saiccor’s quality far more critically, which was hardly 

surprising as by 1976 Saiccor made up approximately 85 per cent of 

Courtaulds’ pulp requirements� Kearton’s ‘that’s the pulp you get, that’s 

the pulp you will use’ attitude to the Courtaulds Operations had gone� 

80 

Ennio Zan, with a 37,2 kg salmon 

landed at the Mkomazi River 

mouth on 29 December 1986 

Paddy Brannigan (front left), 

Norman Boulter (back) and Lord 

Kearton (right), during the latter’s 

last visit to Saiccor, 1974


As a result of the changed attitude of Courtaulds, Bryan Thomas 

was appointed Research and Development Manager on 29 January 

1976� He had responsibility for research and development, the 

laboratory, and for ensuring that all pulp sent to Courtaulds met 

their requirements� Further, Thomas was responsible to the Managing 

Director rather than the Works Director or Technical Manager, as 

had previously been the case� However, the Technical Manager still 

had the responsibility of making the right quality pulp� 

Thomas was a chemistry and botany graduate who worked for 

Kynoch as a field officer for four years before joining Saiccor as a 

chemist in 1960� In 1963 he was appointed Senior Research 

Assistant and in 1969 Chief Chemist� In 1971 he became Manager 

of the Process Investigation Department, and in 1976 R&D 

Manager� He was appointed to the Management Committee in 

October 1976 and to the newly defined role of Technical Manager 

in 1988� He travelled extensively on behalf of the company and 

built up a very good relationship with customers� In 1987 he 

delivered a paper to the Dissolving Pulp Conference in Geneva 

entitled ‘The Tree of the Future’� Bryan retired on 31 March 1993 

and relocated to Greyton in the Cape� A wildlife enthusiast, he 

served as Chairman of the local branch of the Wildlife Society, 

and was instrumental in starting the Empisini Nature Reserve in 

Umkomaas� Bryan is a very public-spirited individual and has 

served on every imaginable committee, including the Umkomaas 

Town Board as Chairman for many years� 

Quality was steady throughout the period 1970–1976, and 

although it may be considered poor by today’s standards, it was fairly 

consistent from year to year, albeit with seasonal variations (high 

calciums in winter and high silicas in summer)� 

SHEET 

Year KW Ash ppm CaO ppm Si ppm Resin % Spots Cu No. 

72 18 1461 978 59 0.30 776 – 

73 18 1397 870 82 0.27 1370 2.09 

74 17 1476 880 74 0.27 1257 1.97 

75 17 1436 759 51 0.29 1302 2.00 

76 – 1470 647 60 0.29 1646 – 

77 – 1261 601 51 0.25 876 – 

81 

Bryan Thomas


FLOCK 

Year KW Ash ppm CaO ppm Si ppm Resin % Cu No. 

72 22 2223 994 66 0.23 – 

73 23 2236 946 106 0.23 2.07 

74 23 2414 1027 93 0.24 1.97 

75 21 2438 986 72 0.25 1.97 

76 – 2783 954 121 0.27 – 

77 – 2306 798 85 0.23 – 

Early in 1976 the Courtaulds’ factories started experiencing difficulties 

processing Saiccor pulp� Bryan Thomas and John More, a Courtaulds 

chemist who at the time was Saiccor’s Technical Services Manager 

based in Coventry, struggled in vain to find a cause� 

Silica and spots had risen but were not considered the cause of the 

problems being experienced� 

The situation at the Courtaulds’ factories went from bad to worse 

and a high-level meeting was called in Coventry in the middle of the 

year� At the meeting it was agreed that pulp sent to Courtaulds had 

to meet a specification� Pulp that did not meet this specification 

would be classed as substandard and could be offered as such to 

Courtaulds at a discount price� Bryan Thomas was personally charged 

with ensuring the specification system worked� 

The initial specification matched Saiccor’s capability, for example 

the limit on spots was 5 000/m 2 , nevertheless it was stringent enough 

to classify 5–10 per cent of Saiccor’s pulp as substandard� As the 

quality of Saiccor’s pulp improved over the years, the specification 

was tightened, so that 5–10 per cent substandard became the norm� 

Courtaulds submitted large claims to Saiccor in 1976 for pulp that 

was supposedly unfit for purpose� Saiccor were also asked to keep 

production at 750 t/d when it was capable of 800 t/d, to ensure quality 

did not deteriorate� 

By 1977 the Courtaulds’ factories returned to normal and Saiccor 

reverted to making maximum production� 

With Bryan Thomas’ new appointment as R&D Manager, the 

Process Investigation Department crumbled� I had been 

appointed Assistant Technical Manager of Pulp Finishing 

(equivalent to Plant Manager today), Tony Butler left Saiccor in 

March 1977, and Glynn Evans, a chemical engineer who joined 

the department on 1 September 1973, was appointed Assistant 

Technical Manager for Pulp Preparation in April 1976� He 

transferred to Pulp Finishing in 1979 but resigned at the end of 

September 1979� 

82 

John More 

Glynn Evans


There were also changes in the engineering department that had 

become necessary with the increasing amount of plant and 

equipment� Pulp Finishing was divided into two engineering sections 

in March 1975, namely bleaching and drying� Frank Rhodes was 

Divisional Engineer for bleaching, and Pauline Harding, who was 

recruited in July 1974 for investigative work, became Divisional 

Engineer for drying� 

Giorgio Natali remained Assistant Engineer for bleaching and flock, 

and Basilio Segatto, a chargehand machinist, was appointed Assistant 

Engineer for the pulp machines from 1 March 1975� 

Ben Curtis left early in 1976 and two graduate engineers joined on 

1 May 1976, Nick Day-Lewis and Mike Howlett� The former 

immediately became Services Engineer, while the latter moved around 

the plant before taking over the bleaching division in 1977� Mike 

was appointed Assistant Chief Engineer on 1 September 1978 but 

still kept the responsibility for bleaching with Giorgio Taverna as 

assistant, until Mike Bentley became Divisional Engineer of bleaching 

on 1 January 1980� 

Vic East left at the end of December 1975, and Barry Tokelove 

took over as Instrument Engineer� 

Bruno Trevisan returned to Italy at the end of April 1977 and Bill 

Hunt was recruited to replace him in July 1977� 

In March 1977 two graduates transferred from Courtaulds to 

Saiccor� Derek Weightman, a chemist, went into the laboratory and 

Anthony Wykes, a chemical engineer, within a short while became 

Production Manager of the liquor plant� When Glynn Evans resigned 

at the end of September 1979 Anthony took over his job, but because 

he would not transfer to Saiccor’s permanent staff, was not officially 

appointed� Anthony returned to Courtaulds in the middle of 1980� 

Attie du Plooy resigned at the end of April 1976, and Geoff Sowler, 

a chemist who had arrived from Courtaulds in 1974, took over as 

Chief Chemist� 

Saiccor’s most active period was probably from 1976 to 1983, when 

production increased from 725 t/d to 1108 t/d, an increase of 53 per 

cent fairly evenly spread over the eight years� 

83 

Pauline Harding 

Anthony Wykes 

Year Tons/Day Year Tons/Day 

1975 725 1980 893 

1976 755 1981 1003 

1977 819 1982 1057 

1978 857 1983 1108 

1979 890


The increase in production came from four major capital projects 

and some minor ones� The major capital projects were the 1974 

extension scheme, the 1975 extension scheme, computer control of 

the Digester Plant, and the 1979 extension scheme� 

In June 1973 I was transferred to the development department to 

work on an extension scheme� At that time Ted Beesley was 

Development Manager, Ciano Ioppo was Project Engineer, and Tom 

Fitzgerald was Chief Draughtsman heading a team of draughtsmen� 

Working for Ioppo was Design Draughtsman Alfredo Battiston, a 

sound engineer (Perito Industriale Meccanico) and a fine 

draughtsman� 

Alfredo was born on 2 March 1927 in Udine and joined Saiccor on 

24 June 1954 as a fitter, but was soon working as a design 

draughtsman� He was appointed Chief Draughtsman in February 

1976, a position he held until he retired on 1 March 1992� Alfredo 

worked on every Saiccor expansion project in its 50-year history, 

including the 1993–95 Mkomazi Project, where he was brought back 

from retirement by ND Engineering to work on Nos 21–23 digesters� 

He is a friendly, cheerful and philosophical man, with many a 

profound quip� A member of Martelossi’s choir, he loves music and 

wrote the following article for the Saiccor magazine, The Raypulp 

Recorder, in August 1962 (originally written in Italian and translated 

by Alfredo in 2001)� 

TALKING ABOUT MUSIC 

The theatre is full of people, a continuous murmur is heard from the audience� 

As soon as the curtain lifts the baton of the maestro strikes lightly on the 

music score and silence is established� 

The music starts diffusing into the air and the audience concentrates to hear 

their melody flowing from the various instruments� 

A few minutes before the appearance of the maestro the same musicians that 

now hold the public’s attention were busy exercising on their instruments, but 

the cacophony of sound they produced could not be called music� 

So, what is music? Leaving apart any artistic aspect I will try to explain 

what is intended by music� 

The human ear attributes a certain pitch to a sound so we have very low, low, 

acute, super acute etc� Furthermore the ear judges two sounds of the same 

pitch if their frequencies are equal or different pitch if their frequencies are 

different� The more acute sound is the one with the higher frequency� When 

sounds reach the ear successively, they constitute a melody� When they arrive 

simultaneously they form harmony or accord� 

The impression of the successive or simultaneous hearing of two sounds depends only 

on their interval� This is music examined purely from the technical point of view� 

84 

Alfredo Battiston


Any individual with some musical know-how can put together or ‘compose 

some music’ but only the fortunate few can or will compose a masterpiece� 

In today’s world everything moves at music pace: armies march ‘unfortunately’ 

at music tempo� People dance to the sound of music, even chickens lay eggs 

exhorted by music� The same of cows in their sheds who give copious amounts 

of milk to the tune of Strauss waltzes� We normally are not aware of this� 

How many times after having been to a cinema, do we remember some part of 

the musical soundtrack? In the majority of cases we are not even aware that 

the music was there all the time during the projection of the film, to underscore 

the character of the action which takes place on the screen� 

The music is as smooth as silk if the scene is of the amorous type, loud and 

bursting during violent scenes, lugubrious and sobbing during the scary scenes� 

A poor musical soundtrack could ruin a good film� And thus it is imperative to 

commission talented musicians to write the musical score for films� 

Now lets leave this branch of music� Whilst being relatively important this 

represents only a marginal part of the musical artistic complex so let us talk 

about the true goddess, music with a capital ‘M’� Let us go a step backwards 

and return to the famous orchestra that I mentioned at the beginning� The 

audience is wrapped up in the music and listens to it in silence� How many 

members of the audience are really listening to what is being played? A good 

percentage for sure, but there will always be those who go only because it is 

fashionable or to look at people or just to pass the time� 

Unfortunately these people do not realise that they are ‘blind’ of hearing� 

They are like a person, although having good sight refuses to take advantage 

of it and covers his eyes with a blindfold� 

It happens on occasions that we look at something without really seeing it, 

and in order to see properly we must focus on the object and pay attention to 

detail� This is true also of music� We cannot pretend to understand what the 

composers express with their music only by going to the theatre� We must 

listen attentively, concentrate, then only will all the beauty of the music be 

perceived and the music will be like an open book ready to be assimilated and 

fully appreciated� 

Unfortunately today classical music is a thing of the past and only a few 

composers produce music of some value� With this I am not saying that the 

various screamers and guitar strummers who are stomping the stages of the 

world today have no musical talent, on the contrary, the sound emanating 

from their guitars and much abused vocal cords form the basis of what modern 

music is all about� 

From my point of view there is nothing better than sitting in my favourite 

chair with soft lights, listening to my favourite recording of classical music� 

On the other hand if someone thinks there is nothing better than sitting beneath a 

soft light in the company of girls, listening to modern music, I will not blame him� 

85


In the middle of 1973 the development department was involved 

with No 2 second screening, a bleached pulp storage tower (No 7), 

which were part of the 280 000 s�ton (696 t/d) scheme of 1969, and 

preparation for the 1974 extension scheme� 

The 1974 extension scheme was to increase output by 18 000 t/ 

year (50 t/d) to 278 000 t/year (762 t/d)� This was considered the 

first part of a greater programme as some sections of the plant would 

be expanded to a capacity of 1 000 t/d, which would enable other 

sections to be expanded at a later stage� 

The scheme consisted of: 

A new flock line (No 5) for 130 t/d – specifically designed to 

overcome flock bale cracking� 

Extension to woodyard – a new Catharge chipper as No 3 to 

replace No ’s 1 and 2 Murco chippers, two water flumes and the 

provision of outside chip storage to replace the existing log storage� 

A new 70 t/h coal boiler� 

New coal, limestone and sulphur storage and handling� 

Those sections of the plant that would have a capacity of 1 000 t/d 

were woodyard, bleaching and boilers� 

The total scheme at a cost of R4,7 million was approved by the 

Board in October 1973� However, the advent of the Arab oil crisis in 

October 1973 had a significant impact on Saiccor’s costs as the two 

large flock burners operated on paraffin and the two small ones on 

heavy fuel oil� Kearton agreed, outside of the Board meetings, to the 

purchase of a gas producer based on a one-page justification from 

Tainton� In January 1974 an order was placed with Dorbyl for a 540 

therm (54 million Btu/h) cold clean Wellman gas producer� The plant 

and conversion of the flock burners ended up costing R600 000, but 

paid for itself in nine months� 

Early in 1974 it was agreed to ship pulp in eight bale units and the 

unitisers were added to the list of projects, which increased the 

workload well beyond Saiccor’s capability� Courtaulds Engineering 

Limited had been approached in mid-1973 to manage the woodyard, 

No 9 boiler and the coal, limestone and sulphur storage and handling 

areas� By 1974 the team under Barry March was well entrenched 

(Barry March was only involved part time and Peter Topp, his deputy, 

shouldered most of the burden)� 

In December 1973 Ted Beesley was released from his normal duties 

to look at effluent control, and from May 1974 Ciano Ioppo became 

Projects Manager� At the same time I was put in charge of the 

installation and commissioning of the projects under Saiccor’s control� 

A letter of intent for No 9 boiler was sent to Babcocks in August 

1973, and civil work started immediately� The boiler was pressure 

tested in June 1974 and started in September 1974� 

86


The flume on No 3 chipping line was commissioned in November 

1974 and with it the first outside chip storage� No 4 chipper with its 

flume was commissioned in August 1975� 

The new sulphur storage and handling was in operation in June 

1974 and crushed limestone was in use from April 1975� 

No 2 second screening was started up on water in October 1974, 

but then had to wait for No 7 storage tower in bleaching, for pulp� 

The order for No 7 tower (mild steel stainless lined) was placed 

with Durban Engineering, but was a challenge to them as they had 

never tackled a tank of this size – 12 m diameter and 35 m high� 

Construction started in mid January 1974� At first progress was good, 

but in April half the welders left, and from then on it became 

impossible to recruit welders for more than a few weeks� Progress 

became painfully slow, while at the same time Durban Engineering 

were starting to run into financial difficulties� Broderick Engineering 

bought a large part of Durban Engineering to keep it going, but then 

Anglovaal bought Broderick Engineering� They finished No 7 tower 

but then closed down Durban Engineering� Undaunted, enterprising 

Elio Rossi started up again as ND Engineering, but it was now a bigger 

partnership and Elio soon left to start up Durban Engineering 

Machinery on his own� ND Engineering was left in the hands of 

Allan Lofstrand, Alberto Carnevale, Mario Domiro and Domenico 

Casale� Carnevale left after a currency debacle in 1985 and Domiro 

left a few years later to start his own business� In 1996 ND Engineering 

was bought by Sunds, who themselves were then bought by Valmet, 

and ND Engineering is now Metso ND Engineering� 

No 7 tower was commissioned in November 1974 followed by No 

2 second screening in December 1974� Flock pulp then went through 

No 2 second screening and the throughput of No 1 second screening 

was reduced from 720 t/d to 400 t/d for the two pulp machines� The 

benefit of the buffer capacity of No 7 tower was felt immediately, 

but the additional screening plant did not reduce silicas as significantly 

as expected� 

Silicas 

Sheet Flock 

1974 74 93 

1975 51 72 

1976 60 121 

The equipment for No 5 flock line was ordered in October 1973, which 

included some noteworthy changes from the older plants� The old 

flock bales had soft ends as a result of baling in one direction, hence a 

double ram press was sought for the new plant� None could be found, 

87


but Broderick Engineering of Vereeniging agreed to design and build 

one� A Rietz V-press was used instead of the conventional Sunds 

twin press, with the advantage that it did not have to be fed with a 

high density pump� Towler hydraulics, as per the other presses, were 

specified, but as their delivery times were excessive, a rushed order 

was placed on Bells Asbestos for Dennison equipment� 

The hydraulic system was designed by local Bells’ man Bill Roberts, 

and the electrical control system fell to Bruno Trevisan� Bruno was 

born on 29 May 1922 in Cervignano and joined Saiccor on 21 February 

1954 as an electrician� When the factory started he became Power 

Station Foreman and in June 1963 he headed the electrical department 

while Graham Mortimer was Plant Engineer� In January 1966 he 

was appointed Assistant Electrical Engineer, a position he held until 

he returned to Italy for family reasons, in April 1977� One of the 

liveliest of the Italians, Bruno did everything at great speed and with 

tremendous energy, and always had a ready smile� He was a most 

competent and knowledgeable electrical engineer� 

No 5 flock line started on 14 October 1975� The bales, as expected, 

had no soft end, and after some modifications the Rietz press gave 

satisfactory results� However the hydraulics of the baling press were 

extremely troublesome and required constant attention from 

mechanical and electrical people� Enoc Baldin became an hydraulic 

expert after living with this press for four years� 

Enoc was born on 24 July 1935 in Torviscosa, and joined Saiccor as 

a fitter on 6 August 1954� Being one of the youngsters at the time, he 

became an operator in the digesters for six years after the factory 

started up� He then returned to his trade, working with Piero Mian� 

In mid-1974 he transferred to the flock plant to work on the 

installation of No 5 flock line, where he became a chargehand� He 

left in March 1979 to go into business in Cape Town with relatives, 

but returned to Saiccor on 4 March 1986� 

Enoc became Assistant Engineer on 1 June 1987 and Divisional 

Engineer of bleaching on 1 September 1992� He retired on 31 May 

1999 as the last of the original Italians (from 1954)� Enoc is a friendly, 

capable and dedicated individual who never shied away from any 

problem� He was one of only a few Italians to play golf� 

Production from No 5 flock reached 100 t/d in 1976 and up to 

design rate of 130 t/d in 1977� 

While commissioning No 5 flock, Saiccor had a visit from Kearton’s 

friend, Lord George Brown, who, in reality, had far greater capitalist 

leanings than he had liked to portray in former years as Britain’s 

Deputy Prime Minister in Harold Wilson’s Labour government� 

The unitisers were commissioned in July 1975� The plant included 

an overhead crane and rail line into the loading bay for pulp despatch 

by rail, but one month before commissioning Tainton arranged for 

despatch by road, the way it has been ever since� 

88 

Bruno Trevisan 

Enoc Baldin


Retirement farewell party for the last of the ‘old’ Italians, 31 May 1999� From LEFT TO RIGHT: Gary Bowles, Paolo 

Meneghel (1961), Max de Robillard, Sinclair Stone, Eridanio di Marco (1956), Enoc Baldin (1954), Alan Tubb 

The gas producer was commissioned in March 1976 with help from 

Roberto (Robbie) Pavan and Giorgio Taverna� Robbie was an 

instrument mechanic who became a draughtsman, but left in July 

1976 to join Elio Rossi� Giorgio Taverna joined Saiccor in the beginning 

of 1976 as a fresh mechanical engineering graduate� After the gas 

producer was running, he became Assistant Engineer in bleaching� 

When Nick Day-Lewis left at the end of October 1980, Giorgio was 

appointed Services Engineer, where his father Mario was one of his 

staff� He left at the end of January 1981, somewhat disillusioned� He 

came to see me after having asked Paddy Brannigan for a raise� Paddy 

had turned his request down, as Giorgio had not ‘made enough 

mistakes’� Needless to say, it was impossible for Giorgio’s Italian mind 

to understand Paddy’s Irish logic� 

The flock burners were converted to producer gas without incident� 

Although the chargehands were concerned about carbon monoxide 

poisoning at the beginning, and wanted a canary in the control room, 

they soon became complacent about the potential of danger� 

Fortunately, no mishap ever occurred throughout the gas producer’s 

history� 

The 1975 extension scheme was to increase output to 310 000 tons 

per year (850 t/d) – an extra 32 000 t/a (88 t/d), by consolidating the 

89


1974 extension scheme in regard to improved washing and screening 

facilities, re-use of water and additional cooking capacity� The major 

equipment was as follows: 

One sulphur burner (No 4) 

Two digesters (Nos 15 and 16) 

Duplication of chip charging facilities 

Two washpits (Nos 6 and 7) 

Two low density towers 

Three pressure knotters 

Five pressure screens 

Two water storage tanks 

The total cost was R3,9 million� 

The cost benefit analysis was as follows (estimated in the fourth 

quarter of 1974): 

$1,49 = R1,00 

R1,67 = £1,00 

90 

R’Million 

Sales 32 000 t at R116/t ex works (Saiccor’s price $173/t) 3 712 

Less variable cost at R58,5/t 1 872 

Marginal profit 1 840 

Less depreciation x R3,9 million 0 273 

1 567 

Additional R&M, 4 % x R3,9 million 0 157 

Net profit 1 410 

Return on Capital: 36 % 

When the order for two digesters was 

placed with Avesta in October 1974 

they offered, at the same price, three 

digesters complete with circulation 

pipes and auxiliary equipment that at 

the time were still operating at NCB, 

Valvik in Sweden� Saiccor took up the 

offer, the digesters were cut in half 

(circumferentially) and shipped to 

Durban as deck cargo� As the vessels 

were 5,9 m in diameter, a route to 

Saiccor had to be selected with bridges 

that had 7 m clearance� The route 

became Durban harbour – Isipingo – 

Eston – Richmond – Ixopo – Highflats 

– Ifafa Beach – Umkomaas, a distance 

of some 250 km� It took six months of 

The transportation of the three digesters from Durban harbour to 

Saiccor in 1975 was a slow and tortuous process


negotiations to get permission to transport the vessels, and when it 

was granted, travel was only permitted on Sundays at 15 km/h� 

After a long, tortuous and eventful journey, the first digester arrived 

at Saiccor in May 1975� The two halves were rejoined with a 1,2 m 

extension ring to bring the volume to 285 cubic metres, the same as 

the other digesters� Nos 15 and 16 were commissioned in October 

1975 and No 17 in November� 

The remainder of the extension scheme was completed on time, 

with the exception of the Simon Carves sulphur burner (No 4), which 

was severely delayed and only commissioned in May 1979, when the 

Lurgi burners were laid to rest� The pressure knotters, low density 

storage towers, and Nos 6 and 7 washpits were commissioned in 


The pressure screens (centrisorters), which at that stage were 

installed on top of Nos 1-5 washpits, were commissioned in June 

1976� 

Glynn Evans was in charge of the commissioning of the 1975 

scheme, which went well, especially the centrisorters that operated 

perfectly from the first push of a button� However, by September 

1976 the epoxy lining on Nos 6 and 7 washpits proved unsatisfactory 

and had to be replaced with tiles� The pressure knotters proved 

difficult to operate and required several modifications, after which 

they operated satisfactorily but were always prone to severe blockages 

from certain wattle cooks� It was never fully established what caused 

the blockage although a high viscosity wattle cook was a prerequisite� 

Production Manager Marino Cudin needed all his experience and 

talent to make the new plants work� Marino was born on 19 May 

1929 in Torviscosa and joined SAICI at 14 in 1944� He transferred to 

Courtaulds in Coventry for a year, engaged on the flock experiment, 

before joining Saiccor on 20 May 1958 to work on the flock pilot 

plant� He remained in the flock plant until he was promoted to Shift 

Superintendent in August 1961� On 1 August 1970 Marino was 

promoted to Production Manager of the liquor plant, digesters and 

first screening, a position he held until he retired on 1 June 1990� 

Marino was a highly intelligent individual, who always had new 

ideas and innovations� He served as President of the Italian Club for 

a number of years� 

In October 1978 the Board approved the ‘Computer Control of the 

Digester Plant’ for R1 million, on the basis that ‘probably the most 

important aspect of final pulp quality is uniformity, and with the 

increased complexity and frequency of cooking batches, the necessity 

for better co-ordination and supervision has increased and more 

sophisticated techniques must be adopted to maintain good control�’ 

(Board Paper, October 1978) 

91 

Marino Cudin


In January 1979 I was moved to Pulp Preparation and put in charge 

of the computer project� The aims of the project were twofold, to 

improve the operation of the digester plant and also to improve the 

viscosity variation from digesters� 

It is difficult to imagine today what the digester operation was 

like in 1979; cooks were done at a fixed maximum temperature, and 

as a consequence cook times varied from six to nine hours� It was 

common for three digesters to need gas release at the same time (two 

would have to wait and overcook)� There were no radios at the 

beginning of 1979, and all instructions were given verbally in the 

second floor control room, which at any time resembled Grand 

Central Station, with people constantly coming and going� Digesters 

operated at three different pressures – 6,0 bar (Nos 1–5); 6,6 bar (Nos 

6–8) and 10,4 bar (Nos 9–17), wattle could only be cooked in Nos 9– 

17, there were restrictions on some digesters going to some washpits, 

and all digester operations were manual� With so many operations 

having to be constantly performed, digesters had become virtually 

unmanageable� In fact in 1978 Rivetti and Cudin were put on 12hour 

shifts to make 30 cooks/day with 17 digesters (1,76 cooks/day 

per digester; today with computer control 2,56 is comfortable)� Added 

to the operational problems, the control of digester viscosities, not 

surprisingly, was poor, with a coefficient of variance (COV) of about 

25� 

These were the problems it was hoped would be addressed by a 

computer� Although computer control of cooking for kraft paper 

pulp by the H-factor was well known at the time, there was no known 

cooking model for dissolving pulp� Work started on the development 

of a cooking model at Saiccor in 1978� Adrian Bowling and Torgny 

Oehgren undertook the fundamental work on the model 

development, starting from an S-factor proposal from a Swedish 

theoretician� 

Adrian Bowling, a young Australian chemical engineer, joined 

Saiccor in March 1977, replacing Tony Butler� He did some 

investigative work before starting on the digester model, which then 

occupied all his time until he left Saiccor in 1980� 

Torgny Oehgren, a Swedish chemist born on 12 September 1921, 

spent virtually his entire professional life in the pulp and paper 

industry� By the early 1970s he was General Manager of MoDo’s 

Domsjo mill in northern Sweden, where he had worked for many 

years� Then one day in the mid-1970s he disappeared� He ran away 

from MoDo, and his family, and took a job as a nurse in a mental 

hospital in southern Sweden� 

Torgny was discovered in the hospital by pulp and paper 

consultants IVL, who persuaded him to join their company, and sent 

him to Saiccor in 1977 to follow up some water-saving proposals 

they had made in 1973� Torgny loved the country and had no Torgny Oehgren 

92


hesitation accepting a job offered to him by Paddy Brannigan� He 

joined Saiccor on 1 May 1978� With his extensive knowledge and 

broad experience he made a significant contribution to Saiccor’s 

technical achievements� In an address to a small dinner party to 

celebrate his sixtieth birthday in 1981, Torgny said ‘I came to Saiccor 

thinking it was the twilight of my career, instead it has proved to be 

the highlight of my career�’ He became very much part of the social 

life of Umkomaas, although most of his spare time was spent running, 

often with his colleague John Thubron� He ran the Comrades every 

year from about 1980 and still managed 8 hours and 30 minutes at 

the age of 63 in 1985; he also took part in the Two Oceans a few 

times� Torgny died on 16 February 1986 after overexerting himself in 

a marathon� 

Towards the end of 1978 a cooking model had been developed where 

the degree of cooking was dependent on the heat input and the 

chemical composition of the cooking liquor (the higher the sulphur 

dioxide concentration, the lower the heat input and the higher the 

calcium concentration, the higher the heat input)� More importantly 

the heat input, or S-factor, was a function of time and temperature, 

where a higher heat input could be obtained in the same time by 

raising the temperature� This led to constant cook times but variable 

cooking temperatures� 

By the end of 1978 the model was running on a mini-computer in 

parallel with the digesters� In January 1979 cooks were being stopped 

on one digester by the mini computer, and by April four digesters 

were on the computer� By June 1979 the model was producing good 

enough results to be able to place an order with Accuray for the 

computer control of the digester plant� The Saiccor model was built 

into the Accuray computer, which would then control the 

temperature profile to end every cook in a fixed time� 

The Accuray computer was installed in October 1979 and by 

February 1980 was controlling eight digesters� All the other digesters 

followed a month later� Although there were numerous teething 

problems, which were ably dealt with by Accuray’s local technician 

Harry Fox, the system soon started producing results� Constant cook 

times transformed the operation of the digester plant – up to 36 cooks/ 

day from 17 digesters was soon achieved� The improvements to 

viscosities were slower to achieve, but after much attention to the 

detail of every facet of the operation, COVs slowly came down to 

17� 

The men who operated the computer, and who thereby ensured 

its acceptance and success, were the cook controllers� Although this 

was their first contact with a computer, they never shied away from 

it, nor did they ever blame it for things that went wrong, and they 

were all middle-aged men who had spent at least 20 years operating 

93


manually� Israel Shezi, David Magubane, Bernard Mzotho, Maxwell 

Kweyema and Stanley Hlungwane made a very positive contribution 

to the success of the computer control of digesters� 

In mid-1978 work started on a proposal to install a new 4,8 m pulp 

machine� This developed into the 975 t/d Expansion Scheme (100 t/d 

above the operating rate at the time)� The scheme included a ‘500 t/d’ 

machine (No 3 continua) (500 t in 24 hours to average 450 t/d), a 

rearranged first screening where the centriscreens would follow Nos 

1–3 Repolas and would in turn be followed by two new washers 

(Nos 5 and 6 Repolas) and then a new high density storage tower 

(No 8), which would feed the two bleaching plants� No 1 continua 

was to be shut down and flock output reduced� By February 1979 all 

the equipment required had been established and the 975 t/d 

expansion scheme was approved by the Board in March 1979 for R19,9 

million� It was agreed by the Board that the scheme would increase 

production by 100 t/d as production at the time was already 885 t/d� 

Orders for the machine and dryer were placed with KMW and 

Flakt in March 1979, while all other equipment was ordered by May� 

For the first time the entire installation, with the exception of No 8 

tower, was done by one contractor, Murray and Roberts, including 

mechanical, electrical, instruments and civils, with Ian Colepepper 

their overall project co-ordinator� Construction started in June 1979� 

The only pre-commissioning training deemed necessary was to send 

Bepi Martelossi and Basilio Segatto to Monsteras in Sweden for two 

weeks to see a similar machine in operation� Paddy Brannigan 

managed the project for Saiccor with Ciano Ioppo at the ‘coalface’� 

Norman Boulter took charge of the commissioning of the machine 

and I took charge of first screening� 

Commissioning of No 3 continua started in September 1980 with 

two teams, the day shift under Martelossi and the night shift under 

Martin Ferreira� Both teams reported to Norman Boulter� From the 

mechanical side, Basilio Segatto covered 24 hours� Basilio was born 

on 10 September 1930 in Torviscosa and came to Saiccor on 24 April 

1954 as a machinist� He reached the position of Chargehand Turner 

before being transferred to the plant on 1 March 1975 as Assistant 

Divisional Engineer Pulp Drying� He was appointed Divisional 

Engineer Pulp Drying on 1 April 1986, a position he held until he 

retired at the end of December 1992� He was a firm, strong character, 

a very meticulous man, who always thought in terms of fractions of 

millimeters� One of his fine achievements was completely redesigning 

the Lamb cutter at the end of No 3 continua to make it work on 

Saiccor pulp� 

There were numerous problems starting up No 3 continua, the 

most persistent being with the wire tying machines, and for the first 

94 

Basilio Segatto


four months production from the machine only averaged 300–350 t/d� 

However, from the beginning of 1981 design capacity of 450 t/d 

average was achieved, although there were members of the Board 

who could not appreciate that 500 t in 24 hours would average 450 t/d� 

Total production in 1981 was 1 003 t/d, which exceeded the proposals 

as set out in the expansion scheme� No 1 machine was shut down in 

May 1981 but was restarted in October 1981, and instead flock output 

was reduced from about 470 t/d to 250 t/d� 

In first screening the centrisorters were moved from the washpit 

floor to their new building, and restarted in October 1980� No 8 storage 

tower was built by ND Engineering and was the first storage tower 

in solid stainless steel – it was also the biggest at 4 500 m 3 , 12 m in 

diameter 45 m high� No 8 tower was commissioned in February 1981 

together with the two Rauma Repola J washers (Nos 5 and 6 Repolas) 

and the Rauma 1 000 t/d high density pump� There were problems 

with the hydraulic drives on the washers and capacity problems with 

the pump� In those days it took a major effort to persuade the Finns 

they had obligations for the performance of their equipment� When 

they finally sent someone to site, he could hardly speak English� 

Nevertheless, the problems were solved (the hydraulic drive was 

upgraded), and later dealings with the Finns have shown a radically 

changed attitude, being totally customer-focused� 

First screening operators Ephraim Magubane, Milton Dlamini, 

Moffat Ndlovu, Alfred Dlamini and Victor Sibisi played leading roles 

in commissioning the new plant� Ephraim was one of three 

Magubane brothers, each of whom gave long service to Saiccor, and 

contributed to its success� 

Moses Magubane joined Saiccor on 19 December 1955 as an office 

messenger� He was promoted to Senior Personnel Clerk in 1963 and 

Personnel Officer in 1976� He retired on 31 March 1994 after 38 years 

service, to pursue a political career� From 1976, Moses had 

responsibility for black employment and well-being, and was always 

very politically involved� 

David Magubane joined Saiccor on 5 February 1957 as a labourer, 

in 1965 he was promoted to Shift Analyst in the laboratory and in 

1974 to Induna in the digesters� He became a cook controller in 1979, 

a chargehand in 1993, and retired early to his farm on 31 May 1999 

after 42 years service� A man with a ready smile, David is remembered 

for quietly doing what was required� 

Ephraim Magubane joined Saiccor on 8 February 1963 as an 

artisan’s assistant in the electrical department� In 1968 he became 

an assistant operator in the liquor plant, slowly progressing to an 

operator� In 1985 he moved to the magnesium plant, becoming Senior 

Operator in 1988� In 1994 he was appointed Shift Superintendent, 

first in the Mkomazi plant and then Pulp Preparation, his current 

95 

Moses Magubane 

David Magubane 

Ephraim Magubane


position� Ephraim has been a very competent operator, a cheerful 

man who is almost immune to stress� 

Moffat Ndlovu and Maxwell Kweyema (digester Cook Controller) 

died tragically in a motor vehicle accident in August 1982� 

Apart from the four major capital projects that came on stream 

between 1976 and 1983, there were a number of minor ones that 

kept production from each part of the factory in balance� These 

included: 

York chilling plant for liquor making (secondhand from Aintree), 

commissioned December 1977� 

Digester circulation from the middle of the digester to the top and 

bottom modified to from the bottom to the top, from August 1978� 

Second low pressure gas release system from digesters, 

commissioned January 1979� 

Superfloc used in the waterworks, November 1979� 

Pressure tank No 14 in SO 2 Recovery commissioned in November 

1979� This scheme, devised by Anthony Wykes, converted SO 2 

Recovery from a batch to a continuous process� 

Side relief introduced to digester operation, from March 1980� 

Second Kirsch chilling plant for liquor making commissioned in 

June 1980� 

First mild steel digester (No 5) being rebuilt in stainless steel, July 1980� 

No 3 digester rebuilt, August 1981� 

No 2 digester rebuilt, June 1982� 

New effluent channel constructed in the factory, July 1982� 

Berol added to final pulp, December 1982� 

No 4 digester rebuilt December 1982� 

Effluent channel, from the factory to the pumphouse (3,5 km), lined 

with HDPE (high density polyethylene), February to October 1983� 

Automatic wrapper for No 3 continua, April 1983� 

No 1 digester rebuilt, September 1983� 

Although the Mkomazi River flow had on a number of occasions 

since 1954 dropped quite low in winter, the poor summer rains of 

1979/80 and the subsequent sharp drop in the river flow was a major 

concern� In June 1980 a 10 m sheet pile was placed into the river bed 

at the water intake – the rock level at the intake is some 30 m below 

the surface of the bed� A 2 m earth weir was built behind the sheet 

pile to impound some 250 000 m 3 of water� A small amount of water 

from the dam had to be used to keep the factory at full production� 

However, good rains on 8 September 1980 broke the weir but restored 

the river flow to normal� 

In October 1980 a leak was detected on the landline of the effluent 

pipe� Further leaks were detected in November� Although the leaks 

were temporarily sealed by pumping wood chips with the effluent, 

96


it was established that after 13 years solids in the effluent had eroded 

the rubber lining, and thus being exposed to effluent the mild steel 

pipeline had corroded� After much debate and discussion, it was 

decided to insert an HDPE pipe (plastic), called Phillips Driscopipe, 

into the mild steel sea line and to replace the landline with HDPE 

pipe� This apparently was common practice in the USA, and would 

be guaranteed for 25 years� 

The HDPE pipe was ordered in April 1981� The landline was 

replaced in an 11-hour factory shutdown on 29 September 1981 and 

the sea line was sleeved in a 34-hour shutdown on 26 October 1981� 

The effluent line was again operating without leaks� Everyone was 

happy, particularly the Board, who regarded the relining as an 

outstanding achievement (at a cost of R3,4 million)� Once the sea 

line was relined, the diffusers over the last 300 m were blocked off, 

forcing all the effluent out of the end of the pipe, which increased 

the visibility of the effluent plume from the shore� 

By 1980 Saiccor’s production started to exceed Courtaulds’ 

requirements� After lengthy debate, Courtaulds decided it would be 

preferable to sell Saiccor’s surplus production outside the Courtaulds 

group, rather than reduce Saiccor’s production� External sales started 

in 1981 and by 1982 made up 27 per cent of the total Saiccor sales of 

384 198 t at a price of R386 against the Courtaulds price of R277� 

The marketing effort was a joint venture between Saiccor and 

Courtaulds Pulp Trading (CPT), with the objective of replacing the 

declining Courtaulds demand for pulp with external sales� Courtaulds 

Pulp Trading was established in April 1982 as an expansion of the 

Coventry based Courtaulds’ company Springwood Cellulose (formed 

20 years earlier to market Usutu pulp)� CPT would sell pulp from 

both Saiccor and Usutu� The company consisted of 18 people, headed 

by Jim Walmisley (who became a director of Saiccor in 1986) and 

included Marcello Malpiedi� 

Early in 1981 discussions started to take place in Saiccor on the next 

expansion project� At that time bleaching was the bottleneck� With 

both bleaching plants operating at well above design capacity, a new 

bleach plant was considered essential for any expansion� However, 

increasing the bleaching capacity would create bottlenecks in virtually 

every other plant� It became clear that the next expansion would 

mean a new mill, and if a new mill was to be built, it should be 

magnesium based rather than calcium based, for economic as well as 

environmental reasons� So was born the concept of the 500 t/d 

magnesium plant expansion, from woodyard to pulp store, that was 

to serve as the thrust of Saiccor’s development for the next 14 years� 

In May 1981 Mike Howlett and I were sent to Sweden and Austria 

to explore the requirements for a new magnesium-based pulp plant� 

97


Mike Howlett was born in England on 17 May 1939 and came to 

Saiccor as a graduate mechanical engineer on 1 May 1976� He became 

Divisional Engineer of bleaching at the beginning of 1977 and was 

promoted to Assistant Chief Engineer on 1 September 1978� In 1987 

he was appointed Development Engineer, a position he still holds� 

Mike is a highly intelligent individual with a sound understanding 

of the fundamentals of science and engineering� He is an ‘ideas’ man 

who has become an authority on energy and control, although it is 

difficult for the common man to follow all his thinking� 

On our trip to Sweden and Austria we visited magnesium pulp 

mills at Stromsbruk, Lenzing and Leykam� We had lengthy discussions 

with recovery specialists Gotaverken and Wagner-Biro, and pulp and 

paper consultants IVL (later to become AF-IPK)� On our return, a 

project team was formed to design a 500 t/d magnesium plant� The 

team comprised Brannigan, Boulter, Thomas, Oehgren, Ioppo, 

Howlett and myself� In addition various specialists were brought in 

when their plants were debated, including Rivetti, Martelossi, Cudin, 

Davey, Mian, Natali and B Segatto� 

The 500 t/d magnesium plant expansion (to make either dissolving 

or paper pulp), to bring Saiccor’s production to 1 500 t/d, was put to 

the Board in March 1982� 

US$ 1,06 = R1,00 = Skr 5,69 

Capital Cost R’million 

Plant 140 

Timberlands 30 

170 

Additional Profit 54 

ROI 30 % 

In view of the high capital cost of the proposal, the Board asked that 

consultants be engaged to approve the design and costs, and a different 

consultant to review the market� Sandwell were engaged to approve 

the design (the first time this had ever happened at Saiccor), and 

Jakko Poyri to review the market� Both consultants’ reports were 

positive (the market report was ‘a small positive yes’) and the proposal 

was resubmitted to the October 1982 Board� The IDC were in favour, 

but Courtaulds (Dr Wooding), could not approve the proposal because 

of the declining world market and ‘the impact of R170 million 

(£100 million) on the financial structure of the Courtaulds group�’ The 

Saiccor members of the Board, particularly Norman Boulter, were livid� 

98 

Mike Howlett


The first strike by all the black employees of Saiccor occurred between 

6 and 10 November 1981� The issue was national and political� 

Countrywide, blacks were demanding the return of their pension 

fund contributions on the basis of the rumour circulating at the time 

that the government was about to take the money� The white 

employees kept the factory running at a lower throughput, until the 

blacks returned after being told they could withdraw from the pension 

fund and collect their contribution� 

Totally unexpectedly, early in 1982, Paddy Brannigan announced 

he would be retiring at the end of June 1982� The reason he gave was 

that he needed to be young enough to start his new venture of running 

his chicken farm in Highflats, and that running a chicken farm was 

not that different from running a pulp mill� 

Very shortly after Brannigan’s announcement, it was made known 

that Peter Dell, from Courtaulds, had been appointed Managing 

Director of Saiccor, from 1 April 1982� Because of the close proximity 

of the two announcements, it was never certain whether Dell had 

been appointed because Brannigan was retiring, or whether Brannigan 

retired because of Dell’s appointment� Paddy’s parting comment was 

that ‘Saiccor’s future lies in the magnesium plant’� 

Although Dell was appointed from 1 April 1982, he really did not 

have a job until Oakley Tainton, who was still Chairman, retired at 

the end of March 1983� 

After Brannigan’s retirement, Norman Boulter was appointed 

Works Director from 1 July 1982, and I was appointed Technical 

Manager (in charge of production)� Mike Bentley was appointed 

Assistant Technical Manager from 1 January 1983� 

Nick Day-Lewis resigned as Services Engineer in October 1980 and 

Giorgio Taverna took over, but he resigned in January 1981� Lionel Davies, 

who joined Saiccor on 1 December 1980, was appointed to the position� 

Anthony Wykes returned to Courtaulds at the end of June 1980 

and was replaced as Assistant Technical Manager by Geoff Sowler, 

who in turn was replaced by Derek Weightman as Chief Chemist� 

In June 1982 John Davey was transferred to the flock plant and 

Ennio Zan moved to the woodyard� John was appointed Production 

Manager of the flock plant on 12 July 1983, a position he held until 

he retired on 1 March 1992� 

Tony Butler returned to Saiccor as Process Engineer on 6 September 

1982 and became Assistant Projects Manager on 2 August 1983� 

In December 1978 Tainton fired Fred Eddleston for allegedly barging 

into his office without an appointment� Tainton issued a statement 

announcing that ‘The position of Personnel Manager has become 

redundant and Mr Eddleston is leaving the company�’ Jim McCabe, 

as Personnel Officer, then ran the department with Bruce Peddie and 

Moses Magubane until Oakley weakened on 1 February 1982 and 

hired Andy Porter as Personnel Manager� 

99


Oakley Tainton retired gracefully at the end of March 1983 – 

although he remained on the Saiccor Board for another two years – 

after a farewell lunch with the Board, Management Committee, and 

Gino della Martina, at the Lido� He had been with Saiccor from its 

inception in 1951, some 32 years, the last 12½ years as the ‘boss’� Despite 

his dictatorial management style and unfriendly manner (or because 

of it), Saiccor prospered under his leadership� Production went from 

594 t/d in 1970 to 1108 t/d in 1983, an 87 per cent increase� As a result 

of higher production, operating profits grew from R7,4 million in 1970 

to R37,0 million in 1983, dividends rose from 37½ per cent of share 

capital in 1972 to 90 per cent of share capital in 1981 (R8,7 million of 

the R37 million profit in 1983 came from the forests, despite timber 

costing R27/t)� Sales outside the Courtaulds group had grown to almost 

30 per cent of Saiccor’s production, where a far better price was received, 

even though Saiccor sold at a significant discount to win market share� 

From 1976 there was a slight improvement in quality although more 

importantly, a good technical dialogue between Courtaulds and Saiccor 

was established, and by 1983 the Courtaulds factories were operating 

with leaner ‘recipes’� The focus of attention with regard to quality 

was levels of impurities, and their variability� 

SHEET PULP 

Si ppm CaO ppm Ash ppm Resin % Spots /m 2 

1976 60 647 1470 0.29 1646 

1977 51 601 1261 0.25 876 

1978 60 524 1209 0.26 657 

1980 86* 433 1335 0.21 575 

1981 74 411 1470 0.21 721 

1982 66 451 940** 0.21 572 

1983 79 457 825 0.17 734 

100 

*the rise in silica in 1980 was the result 

of No 2 second screening having to 

operate at higher consistencies to feed 

No 3 continua� 

** Total ash less sodium 

Production t/d during the Tainton era, 

1971–1983

The Dell Period (1983–1985) 

The Dell Period 

(1983 –1985) 

Peter Lawson Dell was a civil 

engineer who worked for the 

military, largely abroad, before 

joining Courtaulds� He was 

appointed Managing Director of 

Saiccor on 1 April 1982, but only 

took control of the company a year 

later when Oakley Tainton retired� 

Peter was a gentleman to the core, 

with a somewhat military bearing, 

who won the respect of everyone 

he dealt with� He was transferred 

back to Courtaulds in January 1986� 

Peter Lawson Dell, Managing Director 

1983–1985 

101


Norman Wooding (PhD chemistry), then Deputy 

Chairman of Courtaulds, became Chairman of Saiccor 

on 1 April 1983, having been on the Saiccor Board since 

March 1977� 

From 1 April 1983 the Board comprised: N S Wooding* (Chairman), 

N Boulter*, P L Dell*, M Macdonald, O W Tainton, J L van der Walt, 

P J van Rooy, J R Wrangham*� (*British) 

Over this period changes to the Board were: 

S Huismans appointed November 1983 

O W Tainton resigned March 1985 

J R Wrangham resigned March 1985 

G B Turner appointed March 1985 

P L Dell resigned December 1985 

N S Wooding resigned December 1985 

Significant changes had occurred in Courtaulds that were to have a 

strong influence on Saiccor� Sir Arthur Knight had succeeded Lord 

Kearton as Chairman of Courtaulds and to a large extent he followed 

the same expansionist policies as Kearton� In 1979, at the age of 43, 

Christopher Hogg took over from Knight as Chairman� Hogg, after 

majoring in English at Oxford, went to the Harvard Business School 

and then spent a further year teaching at IMEDE, a business school 

in Lausanne� 

For the next five years he worked for merchant bankers in the City 

of London before joining Courtaulds in 1968 as a director of 

International Paints� Hogg’s policy, simply put, was that each business 

unit of the Courtaulds conglomerate had to make a profit or close 

down� Within 18 months he shed 21 000 jobs, almost a quarter of the 

UK workforce� Courtaulds was becoming leaner and meaner, but it 

took six years for profits to improve� Hogg was knighted in 1985� 

While Tainton was at Saiccor the new policies at Courtaulds did 

not filter through to Saiccor� However both Peter Dell and his 

successor, Gordon Campbell, saw their own career progression in 

Courtaulds, and both were keen to see Saiccor more like Courtaulds� 

For instance, in the Tainton era the budgeting process was simple� 

Tainton set the production figure, it was not debatable, it was a given� 

We made 1 050 t/d in 1982 and Tainton’s figure for 1983 was 1 100 t/d 

with no expansion projects� 

The Technical Manager forecast the raw material usages, and Tainton 

negotiated prices but kept them secret� The accountants determined 

R&M and labour costs from the previous years actual inflated by the 

CPI, then put the budget together and sent it to the directors� Proposals 

for capital expenditure were submitted to the March or October Board 

meetings� There was virtually no further discussion on budgets� 

102 

Dr Norman Wooding, 

Chairman of Saiccor 

1983–1986 

Sir Christopher Hogg


The process started to change in the Dell era and very much more 

so in the Campbell era� In 1982 the operating statement was five 

pages, by 1987 it had risen to 10, today it is 40! 

From April 1983, Saiccor embarked on a slow process of change� 

Although the new policies at Courtaulds had not filtered through 

to Saiccor straight away, there was an immediate and lasting impact� 

Saiccor had always sold its pulp to Woodcourt (a Courtaulds company 

registered in the Channel Islands), who in turn sold it to the 

Courtaulds’ factories� In line with Hogg’s new policies, Woodcourt 

increased the pulp price to a market-related value, and Woodcourt 

kept the mark-up� The Courtaulds’ factories were angry with Saiccor 

for increasing prices� They appealed to be allowed to buy pulp on the 

open market but were told they could not� These factories became 

disillusioned and demotivated, and retaliated by complaining about 

the quality of Saiccor pulp (trash levels)� 

In 1983 Norman Boulter was Works Director, and I was Technical 

Manager� The other members of the Management Committee were 

John Earnshaw (Chief Engineer), Bryan Thomas (R&D Manager), 

Don Campbell (Company Secretary and Finance Manager), Andy 

Porter (Personnel Manager) and Robin Pollock, Secretary to the 

Management Committee� 

Geoff Sowler and Mike Bentley were Assistant Technical Managers� 

Mike Howlett was Plant Engineer, Bob Kilmartin an Assistant 

Electrical Engineer replaced Pauline Harding as Divisional Engineer 

of Drying, when she resigned at the end of May 1980� Owen Spence, 

a newly recruited certificated engineer was Divisional Engineer of 

Bleaching, Piero Mian was Divisional Engineer of Pulp Preparation, 

Lionel Davies was Services Engineer, Gino della Martina was Civil 

Engineer and Attilio Segatto was Workshop Engineer� Ciano Ioppo 

was Projects Manager, Alfredo Battiston Chief Draughtsman� Derek 

Weightman was Chief Chemist, Jimmy McInnes Senior Accountant, 

Kier Murray Chief Purchasing Officer, Alan Almond, who started at 

Saiccor in November 1975 when Frank Turner left, was Shipping 

Manager, and Mike McCann was the Medical Officer� 

Andrew Carr, at the time based at Saiccor, looked after timber 

procurement and logistics as Assistant to the Managing Director� 

Andrew, who basically was a farmer, joined the Saiccor group through 

Saligna Forestry after being with Natal Tanning Extract Company 

for three years� He was transferred to Umkomaas in 1980 as Assistant 

to the Managing Director and General Manager of Saligna Forestry 

(until 1985)� In 1985 he became Commercial Manager of Saiccor and 

a member of the Management Committee, responsible for all 

purchasing, shipping and local marketing� In 1990 he was transferred 

from Saiccor to look after shipping for the Sappi group, launching a 

successful career with Sappi� He had a stint in the USA before 

becoming Managing Director of Sappi Forests and then Managing 

103 

Norman Boulter 

Andrew Carr


Director of Sappi Kraft, his present position� Andrew was a tough, 

uncompromising manager, brought up in the Saiccor school� 

Production of 1 108 t/d in 1983 was significantly above the 1982 

level of 1 057 t/d, and 1984 saw a further small increase to 1 111 t/d� 

In 1985 production was 1 076 t/d, and this was the first time in 

Saiccor’s 30-year operating history where production for the year 

was lower than the previous year, largely because of the 

commissioning of the magnesium plant� 

Quality over the period was steady, showing some improvement 

in calcium levels as a result of the water softening plant installed in 

August 1983� 

SHEET PULP 


1982 66 451 940 0.21 572 

1983 79 457 825 0.17 734 

1984 86 269 705 0.15 738 

1985 84 189 667 0.15 840 

In early 1983 Bruce Townsend arrived at Saiccor as a diplomatic 

facilitator to break the impasse that had developed between Saiccor 

and Courtaulds over the magnesium plant� Bruce, an affable Research 

Chemical Engineer, had a long association with Saiccor and Usutu 

dating back to the development of the flock process; he also had 

everyone’s respect� Bruce made it clear that Courtaulds were never 

going to agree to a capital expenditure of £100 million� It transpired 

that the expenditure would need to be less than £50 million� That 

was half the plant� Norman Boulter, Bruce Townsend and I looked at 

a proposal for only the magnesium recovery plant, in other words 

the 1982 proposal minus the bleach plant and pulp machine� To bring 

the capital cost below £50 million, it was also necessary to remove 

from the original proposal a digester, a blow tank, the blending tower, 

a thick liquor tank, a laboratory and offices� 

The capital cost was then acceptable, but the savings in chemicals 

and energy would not pay for the plant� Another 100 t/d of production 

was required to make the project viable, and this was assumed to be 

achievable by changing the pumps in No 2 bleaching, the bottleneck 

at that time� Thus a proposal was put together for a magnesium 

recovery plant costing R70 million that would raise Saiccor’s 

production to 1200 t/d� The proposal was put to the March 1983 

Board, but again it was not approved� 

In June 1983 Courtaulds’ Chairman Christopher Hogg visited 

Saiccor for a day, and spent an afternoon with me to find out about 

our expansion proposal� Although he professed to be non-technical, 

104


he was most attentive down to the minutest detail� He told me he 

had seen millions of pounds wasted in the last few years� In the 

evening Hogg had discussions with about 20 senior Saiccor managers 

on political and social issues� In late July 1983, presumably after a 

Courtaulds Board meeting, Saiccor was told they could go ahead with 

their R70 million project� 

The R70 million magnesium plant was the largest project undertaken 

by Saiccor (and Courtaulds) since Saiccor was built in 1954� This 

created some anxiety in the Boards of the two companies� 

A project team was set up on 2 August 1983 to manage the project� 

I was given responsibility for the overall management of the project, 

including commissioning� Ciano Ioppo was to undertake all Saiccor 

design work, plus ordering and receiving goods� Mike Howlett was 

put in charge of supervision of the boiler, recovery plant, power 

generation plant, steam and services� Bill Hunt was responsible for 

the design and supervision of electrical reticulation and equipment, 

and Gino della Martina (assisted by Luigi Mazzaro) was to supervise 

all civil work� 

By the end of August the team was increased to include Giorgio 

Natali and Piero Mian (transferred to the project on 4 February 1985) 

for mechanical supervision, Martin Ferreira and Torgny Oehgren as 

senior process engineers, Gray Smith for design and supervision of 

instrumentation, Mike Brull for site management, and Bill Hudson 

for accounts� 

Tony Butler was appointed Assistant Projects Manager to manage 

all other projects and Leone Panizzolo took over the day-to-day 

supervision of the building department� 

Bill Hunt, an Electrical Technician, joined Saiccor in July 1977 as 

Assistant Electrical Engineer� He worked very closely with Jimmy 

McFeat and has been intimately involved in all Saiccor projects since 

1977, more recently with upgrades of all substations and switchgear� 

His work in tracing the fault with the high voltage switchgear on 

the magnesium plant was vital for the plant’s operation� Bill has been 

a man who has always quietly got on and done what was required� 

Martin Ferreira joined the magnesium project team shortly after 

its formation, as Senior Process Engineer� A chemical technician, 

Martin joined the Saiccor laboratory on 25 November 1958, was 

promoted to Shift Superintendent on 12 August 1962, but left Saiccor 

at the end of May 1963 to join Shell/BP� He returned to Saiccor’s 

laboratory in July 1964 and was promoted to Shift Superintendent 

on 1 January 1967� Promotion followed, to Production Manager on 1 

December 1981 and Plant Manager on 1 April 1987� He retired at the 

end of November 1993� Martin had a deep understanding of the entire 

Saiccor operation, was technically capable and was well respected by 

everyone who worked with him� 

105 

Bill Hunt 

Martin Ferreira


As discussions with suppliers about plant and equipment for the 

magnesium plant had been ongoing since 1981, the final requirements 

were soon established and orders placed� The recovery boiler and 

secondary recovery were ordered from Gotaverken (who 

subcontracted the construction to ICAL and ND Engineering), the 

washing plant from Rauma Repola, and the evaporator from APV 

Kestner – both constructed by ND Engineering� The digesters, tanks 

and pipework were ordered from ND Engineering, the turbo-generator 

from SGP (Austria), the process control system from Control 

Specialists (Fischer Provox), and instrumentation and electrics from 

UIC� The civil design was to be carried out by CBI and civil 

construction by Murray and Roberts� 

Shortly after the main orders had been placed, a telex from Chris 

Hogg arrived: ‘My friend Lord Wienstock is most disappointed that 

you did not buy a GEC machine� Why?’ Our reply was that the GEC 

machine was more expensive and less efficient� There was no further 

communication from Hogg on the project� 

As Saiccor had never made a magnesium cook, or evaporated and 

fired liquor, considerable research work was required to establish 

operating parameters� This was undertaken by John Thubron and 

Torgny Oehgren� 

John Thubron, who had a chemistry degree with a further year to 

bridge it to chemical engineering, joined Saiccor’s research laboratory 

on 28 November 1974� Although he spent a brief period as Production 

Manager in the mid 1970s, his forté was research� Over the years he 

has done more research than anyone else into Saiccor’s entire process, 

having established optimum temperature profiles for both calcium 

and magnesium cooks, bleaching conditions (particularly with 

oxygen), silica removal and calcium reduction, amongst other things� 

John is a quiet man with a passion for long distance running – he has 

run the Comrades many times – but tends to walk at a snail’s pace 

deep in thought, hence Bruno Trevisan’s name for him, ‘Piede veloce’� 

As the magnesium plant was the major focus of attention in 1983, 

the low river flow went almost unnoticed until mid-winter� The 

summer rains of 1982/83 had been very poor and by mid-May the 

river flow had dropped to 50 cusecs (1,4 cumecs)� As the factory 

requirement was just over 40 cusecs and as summer rains were only 

due in September, the situation was uncomfortable� The earth weir 

at the intake had again been built, impounding some 250 000 m 3 of 

water, which was required when in mid-June the river flow dropped 

to 40 cusecs for the next five weeks� On 24 July there were unexpected 

rains and the river flow went back to 50 cusecs, keeping above 40 

until the end of August when it again started to fall� 

Ted Beesley arranged for well-points downstream of the weir to 

pump water back over the weir, but their capacity was small� It was John Thubron 

106


then decided to dig a well, in the riverbed downstream of the weir, 

with payloaders, putting large pumps on a raft and pumping water 

over the weir� After a week the payloaders could no longer operate 

efficiently due to the depth of the well and Hugh Ahrens of CBI was 

called in� He arranged two large drag lines� The well eventually reached 

a depth of 5 to 6 m� 

Although Oakley Tainton had retired, he was still on the Board 

and insisted on visiting the river site with Ted and I (Peter Dell and 

Norman Boulter were abroad)� While the three of us were looking at 

the works, Tainton turned to me and said, ‘You should fire Ted�’ Both 

Ted and I were taken aback� ‘Why?’ I asked� ‘Because he’s unlucky� 

You can’t afford to have unlucky people around you�’ 

On 1 September, the river flow was 36 cusecs but dropped to 22 by 

12 September� During this period, about 50 per cent of the impounded 

water had been used, leaving a supplement to supply for only three 

to four days� Production was reduced by 20 per cent and water-saving 

measures were introduced, which eventually saved 600 m 3 /h, allowing 

half the lost production to be recovered� The river flow deteriorated 

to 19 cusecs on 14 September and 16 cusecs on 21 September, the 

lowest flow in recorded history� On 24 September, after the first 

summer rains, the flow returned to normal and so did production� 

Civil work for the magnesium plant started in October 1983� Early 

in 1984 structural work commenced, followed shortly by the arrival 

of the first equipment� The site was soon a hive of activity, and the 

project progressed steadily, according to schedule, throughout 1984� 

It was vital to the success of the project that the plant was 

commissioned before the end of June 1985 in order to claim the 

government investment allowance� 

107 

Magnesium plant progress, 

commenced October 1983� 

(LEFT April 1984)


In March 1984 a leak was detected on the HDPE effluent pipe between 

the pump house and the rail bridge across the Mkomazi River� The 

leak was repaired, but investigations revealed that there was hard rock 

beneath the sand bed the pipe was resting on, which had caused the 

pipe to split� It was agreed to clamp the pipe where it was vulnerable� 

On Friday 20 July, a section of the pipe that rested on rock was exposed� 

The pipe was found to be fractured, but only weeping effluent� It was 

decided to do the repairs on Monday, but just after midnight the leak 

worsened and effluent started flowing across the road and into the 

river� An emergency repair was immediately carried out, during which 

time effluent was diverted to the old outfall at the river mouth� A 

strong incoming tide pushed effluent up the river� A number of fish 

died, and the Natal Mercury on 23 July 1984 ran the story under the 

headline ‘Hundreds of fish killed when pipeline bursts’� 

Norman Boulter claimed the Mercury was misleading the public� This 

was all reporter Janet Moore needed to commence a campaign against 

108 

Magnesium plant progress, 

commenced October 1983� 

TOP LEFT July 1984 

TOP RIGHT September 1984, 

BOTTOM December 1984)


The fish kill following the leakage of Saiccor effluent from a leaking pipe in 1984 caused a hue and 

cry in the media� The Natal Mercury ran the story 

109


The culmination of the media field day with the leaking pipe debacle, an 

article which appeared in the Natal Mercury, July 1984 

Saiccor� Criticism of Saiccor appeared regularly in the press, culminating in 

August 1984 with a colour photograph on the front page of the Saturday 

edition, under the headline ‘Purple Death on the South Coast’� 

Because of the outcry, the Department of Water Affairs set up an 

investigation under National Director Hendrick Best� As a result, 

Saiccor agreed to encase the HDPE pipe in concrete (between the 

pumps and the bridge, and on the north bank), and to conduct marine 

surveys� It was also made known that the magnesium plant, which 

was due to start up within a year, would reduce the solids content of 

the effluent by approximately 50 per cent� 

110


Another leak developed on the north bank on 24 October� Because 

effluent spills had become such a sensitive issue to the public at large, 

the factory was shut down while the leak was clamped� It was decided 

to engage Brunel University in the UK to investigate the integrity of 

the pipe� The initial report from Brunel in December 1984 stated the 

HDPE pipe was of inadequate strength� There were further splits on 

the pipe in February and June 1985, when effluent had to be diverted 

to the old outfall, which caused much adverse comment from the 

media and public� In July 1985 Dr Bowman of Brunel University 

reported that the integrity of the HDPE pipe on the beach and in the 

surf zone could not be guaranteed and should be replaced� In 

December that year Brown and Root were called in to prepare a design 

for a new effluent pipeline� 

Tucked away in the hills near Umkomaas, 

south of Durban, is a company few South 

Africans outside the forest products and 

shipping business have heard of, but which 

is one of the country’s biggest export earners� 

SA Industrial Cellulose Corporation 

(Saiccor) will contribute over R100m to the 

balance of payments this year� It has the 

enviable record of pushing up output and 

exports every year since it started 

operations in 1956, and further big 

increases are on the cards within the next 

few years� The replacement cost of its plant 

is already about R800m� 

Saiccor is one of the world’s largest 

producers of dissolving wood pulp, used 

as a raw material for cellusosic fibres (such 

as rayon) cellphane film and cellulosic 

ethers (a freestock for plastics, paints and 

other chemicals)� MD Peter Dell estimates 

that the company supplies about one-tenth 

of all dissolving pulp this side of the Iron 

Curtain� 

The company produced 368 000 t of 

pulp last year and expects output to top 

400 000 t this year, despite the downturn 

in the world chemical industry� Fewer than 

a quarter of its 5 500 workers are stationed 

Dell … ‘we will continue to buy’ 

at Umkomaas factory, however� The plant 

needs 1,25 Mt of timer a year, and Salcor 

rails and trucks in 60% of this from its own 

forests, mainly in the Richmond and 

Kwambonambi areas of Natal� Its 

plantations stretch over 56 000 ha� 

Most of the remainder comes from 

other large growers such as Sappi and 

Mondi, but the company – like a handful 

of other plantation owners – has started a 

programme to encourage small-scale black 

timber growers� It sells them seedlings and 

agrees to buy their wood� 

Saiccor has gained substantial respect 

even from SA’s small growers who 

normally huff and puff against the big 

companies� It is usually among the first to 

agree to price increases to compensate for 

rail tariff hikes� “It’s a first-class company,” 

concedes the chief executive of another 

timber grower-processor, who ascribes 

much of its success to the recently retired 

chairman and MD Oakley Tainton� 

“We are interdependent,” says Dell� “We 

need to encourage growers to have 

confidence in planting and growing� They 

need confidence that we will continue to buy�” 

Two-thirds of Saiccor’s shares are held 

by Courtaulds, the British textile and 

consumer products group� The Industrial 

Development Corporation owns the rest� 

“They’re indispensable from the point of 

view of SA interest and knowledge,” Dell 

observes� 

Courtaulds copanies – mainly in the 

UK, Western Europe, Canada and the US 

– buy about two-thirds of Saiccor’s output� 

According to Dell, “we have progressively 

developed the pulp to be particularly 

suitable for fibre and film end-uses and 

processes used by Courtaulds�” 

Other customers are in Europe 

(including Scandinavia), Latin America 

and the Far East� The group recently broke 

Part of Dell’s public relations campaign of 1984–85 was to foster good relations with the media� Articles such as this 

one began appearing in the press (Financial Mail, 12 August 1983) 

111 

into the Japanese market� 

Dell ascribes Saiccor’s ability to 

maintain production at full capacity 

throughout the recession to “fairly 

aggressive marketing� We’ve been more 

successful than our competitors in keeping 

a reasonable proportion of the market�” He 

insits, however, that Courtaulds’ share of 

Saiccor sales has not risen significantly in 

recent years� 

While Saiccor itself has become more 

involved in promoting and selling its 

products, it has also been helped by the 

establishment 18 months ago of 

Courtaulds Pulp Trading, a Coventrybased 

company� It handles pulp from 

Saiccor, and from the group’s other 

southern Africa pulp producer, Usutu Pulp 

of Swaziland (in which the Commonwealth 

Development Corporation has a 

half share)� 

Saiccor’s output is more than 10 times 

what it was in 1956� Says Dell: “We always 

have expansion plans�” The last major 

investment was a third sheet pulp drying 

line installed in 1981� 

Another big expansion is already on the 

cards� Dell says that “we’re not quite sure 

what we’re going to do,” but confirms that 

work on whatever new facilities are 

decided on will probably start next year� 

According to one outsider, the expansion, 

is likely to raise Saiccor’s capacity to around 

500 000 t a year of dissolving pulp� 

Saiccor … pulping away at Umkomaas


In August 1984 Peter Dell hired a firm of public relations consultants 

in an endeavour to ease the public outcry over effluent by making 

known what Saiccor did, which up to that time was largely unknown 

as Oakley Tainton had generally refused to talk to the media� By 

contrast, Peter Dell spoke to the media at every opportunity from 

the time he arrived at Saiccor� For example, an article entitled ‘Saiccor? 

What’s That?’ appeared in the Financial Mail of 12 August 1983, giving 

some background to the company and describing its operations� 

Saiccor’s public relations campaign of 1984–85 did little to ease 

public concern, although the public in general was willing to wait 

and see what happened once the magnesium plant was operating 

and the effluent load reduced� 

A number of senior staff changes occurred over the period 1983–1985� 

Geoff Sowler resigned at the end of April 1984 to return to the UK� 

Derek Weightman took over as Assistant Technical Manager and 

Lester van Groeningen became Laboratory Manager� Bill Hudson was 

appointed to the Management Committee in August 1984� Piero Mian 

reached retirement age at the end of September 1984 but moved to 

the magnesium plant, while Henry Zan took over as Divisional 

Engineer of Pulp Preparation� Gino Rivetti retired two years early on 

1 December 1984 to run a restaurant, and Ennio Zan took over as 

Production Manager of bleaching� Andrew Carr was appointed to 

the Management Committee in April 1985� 

In August 1985 David Hillcoat was seconded from Courtaulds to 

Saiccor as Financial Controller and a member of the Management 

Committee� Part of his brief was to become fully involved with the 

new computerised accounts systems� David was a very bright 

accountant with a sound understanding of business – although he 

did initiate the expanding of the operating statement! He ended up 

working very closely with Gordon Campbell and returned to 

Courtaulds with Gordon in July 1987� 

On 17 April 1985 Joe Khumalo became the first Zulu apprentice at 

Saiccor to pass his trade test and was appointed as an artisan (Turner)� 

Joe joined Saiccor in 1982 as a handyman and on 7 March 1983 became 

one of 10 apprentices employed that year� He passed his trade test on 

26 March 1985 and has been working as a Turner in the workshop 

ever since, having established his competence� 

Michael Nxele, a fitter from the 1983 apprentice intake, is today a 

chargehand in bleaching� 

Since 1985, 80 artisans have qualified through the Saiccor Training 

Centre, under the guidance of Roland (Tex) Ranger and Henry Wright� 

In September 1985 Saiccor signed the first Recognition Agreement 

with a black trade union – The Dissolving Pulp and Allied Workers 

Union, a SAAWU affiliate, headed by South Africa’s first rebel trade 

unionist (jailed for his efforts), Sam Kikine� The first of many long, 

112 

David Hillcoat 

Joe Khumalo 

Sam Kikine


Andy Porter, with Janice Thomas, LEFT (Bryan Thomas’s daughter-in-law), 

and Natalie Kalamouducos (CENTRE), who took charge of all Saiccor’s 

Industrial Relations issues in the late 1980s and 1990s 

frustrating wage negotiations took place with Sam in 1986, although 

Sam likes to point out there never was a strike while he negotiated 

wage increases� He had an uncanny knack of quickly finding out 

what the company’s final offer would be, and then spending many 

hours trying to get a little more� He was a great character, a showman, 

and a shrewd negotiator� Unlike most trade unionists, he frequently 

asked for things the company could give him� From 1987 all the 

negotiations with Sam Kikine were handled by Andy Porter, Moses 

Magubane and me (Janice Thomas joined the team in 1989)� Andy 

liked to say I did most of the talking while he did most of the thinking� 

PPWAWU became the majority union in 1991 and no further 

negotiations took place with Sam� 

Andy Porter started his working life as a trainee Mine Official, 

progressing to Mine Captain in the mid 1970s� He then transferred 

to Mine Personnel Officer� After leaving the mining industry in the 

mid 1970s, he continued his career in personnel management in the 

manufacturing, insurance and transport industries� Andy joined 

Saiccor on 1 February 1982 as Personnel Manager, a position he held 

until he retired in March 1996� He is a man with a fine sense of 

humour and an easy-going nature, with a cliché for every occasion, 

like ‘damned if you do and damned if you don’t’ or ‘fire failures fast!’ 

Three significant events occurred in 1985: the start-up of the 

magnesium plant, the Saiccor Review, and the currency debacle� 

The construction of the magnesium plant proceeded according to 

schedule and was ready for start-up in April 1985� The start-up team 

113


The magnesium plant in operation, August 1985 

had been transferred to the plant in February and was organised as 

follows: Two superintendents per shift, including graduates Peter 

Morris, Andy Stretton and Eugene Nicholson, fresh from Natal 

Technikon, who were paired with experienced superintendents 

Silvano Moro, Sergio Baldo and Alistair Macbeth; new mechanical 

technicians Bernard Jorgensen-Lian, Lauro Chiccaro, Gianni Ioppo 

and Des Fox, who had been working on the construction of the plant, 

together with Mike Brull, were used as operators� The project team, 

together with Lionel Davies, managed the start-up� 

Lionel Davies was in the merchant navy before joining Saiccor as 

an engineer on 1 December 1980� He was appointed Services Engineer 

from February 1981 and Services Manager in August 1996� He left at 

the end of August 2000� Throughout his career at Saiccor, Lionel was 

in charge of the operation and maintenance of boilers, water coming 

into the factory, and effluent going out� He worked very diligently 

for 20 years, spending many hours in the factory solving and fixing 

problems� 

Secondary Recovery was started on 29 April 1985 to ‘synthesise’ 

cooking liquor� The first magnesium cook was made on 8 May in 

No18 digester and the first washed pulp on 10 May� The evaporator 

started on 22 May and the recovery boiler and turbogenerator on 3 

June� 

The project was completed on time but the cost had risen to R90 

million as a result of the depreciation of the rand� 

Norman Boulter put out a notice on 9 July, which stated: ‘At their 

meeting on July 8th 1985, the Board of Directors of Saiccor expressed 

their appreciation of the way in which the management and staff of 

Saiccor had brought the new plant to the commissioning stage on 

time� It was recognised that this considerable achievement was made 

all the more remarkable by the fact that the existing plant had been 

114 

Lionel Davies


kept operating at full rate throughout the whole of the period of the 

project�’ 

However, there were numerous start-up problems on the 

magnesium plant in 1985 that adversely affected factory production 

because of the interdependence of the calcium and magnesium plants, 

particularly with regard to steam and power� Some of these problems 

were: 

The implosion of the cooking liquor storage tank – May� 

Corrosion of the internals of the knotters that were incorrectly 

supplied in 304 stainless steel – June� 

Damage to the compressor shaft - Provox failure – June� 

H 2 S formation in the boiler, leading to high thiosulphates in the 

cooking liquor which in turn caused severe lignin condensation 

in digesters� Plant was shut down for five days to clean out 

contaminated pulp and liquor – July� 

Trips on boiler and turbine due to failure of printed circuit boards 

on the Provox control system – August� Trips became worse and 

spread to all other parts of the magnesium plant, resulting in up 

to 20 board failures per week� Electrical consultant Rapha Pretorius 

was brought in during October and found that high voltage 

switches were bouncing when opening, giving rise to high voltage 

spikes (over 100 kV) which induced high currents into Provox 

cables, damaging the boards� 

Severe flash on 11/6,6 kV substation bus-bar, tripping out the 

entire factory – September� 

Failure of recovery boiler feed pump, magnesium plant off for 14 

days – January 1986� 

Once the high voltage switches were repaired, failures of the Provox 

boards diminished to zero over two months and the magnesium plant 

operated quite steadily in 1986� 

The steep learning curve offered by the start-up of the magnesium 

plant launched the careers of the three capable young process 

technicians, Eugene Nicholson, Peter Morris and Andy Stretton� 

Unfortunately, Eugene left Saiccor at the end of July 1987 and 

although he did return in 1990 he only stayed for a year� Peter joined 

Saiccor on 1 February 1982 and spent the next three years studying 

for the Pulp and Paper diploma at Natal Technikon� He was appointed 

a Shift Superintendent on 1 January 1985, promoted to Production 

Manager on 1 November 1988 and then to Plant Manager on 1 August 

1992� Peter is a most capable individual who is now well experienced 

in all of Saiccor’s plants� 

Andy Stretton joined Saiccor on 1 February 1982 with Peter Morris, 

and followed the same career path� However while still a 

superintendent, he left Saiccor at the end of March 1989 to look for 

greener pastures, but returned exactly a year later as a Production 

115 

Peter Morris 

Andy Stretton


Manager� He was promoted to Senior Production Manager on 1 

January 1994 and Plant Manager on 1 July 1996� Unfortunately Andy 

left Saiccor in June 2001� He was a very capable and experienced 

plant manager� 

The Saiccor Review was the second significant event to occur in 

1985� Dr Geoff Turner, a director of Courtaulds and a previous CEO 

of Courtaulds Acetate, was due to retire in 1985 but was asked by 

Chris Hogg to stay on to conduct a business review of Saiccor, entitled 

the Saiccor Review� Geoff visited Saiccor a few times early in 1985 

for in-depth discussions with management� He was appointed to the 

Saiccor Board in March and then formed a team to prepare the Review� 

The team comprised Andrew Carr, Andy Hopkins (an experienced 

Courtaulds chemist), Marcello Malpiedi, Patrick Shanley (a 

Courtaulds accountant) and Geoff Turner � 

The Review was completed at the end of September and Turner 

wrote the following note after the presentation: 

The interim report (Saiccor Review) was presented to the Saiccor Board 

on 23�10�85 (at the Royal Hotel, Durban)� In addition to the Board and 

the working party, S Stone, B A Townsend, and D Campbell were present� 

The main contention that Saiccor with its actual and potential 

strengths should, and will probably have to limit its penetration of its 

present declining market and take active steps to broaden the market 

available was accepted� 

The action programme set out was agreed in principle� 

The Review found that ‘Saiccor is a very competitive pulp producer 

(the world’s lowest cost producer), and has good future prospects 

subject to political factors�’ However, the market available to Saiccor 

was declining by 3,2 per cent per annum, hence it was necessary to 

improve Saiccor’s quality to sell more of its existing product, and 

also to make higher alpha pulp (where, for the main end use – cellulose 

acetate – a soft low density reeled pulp is also required)� But, even if 

all this were done ‘we shall still run out of space (in the market), in 

ten years,’ which led to the final conclusion ‘To sell pulp for parts of 

the much bigger paper pulp market�’ 

Only Sipco Huismans strongly objected to Saiccor making paper 

pulp, on the basis that Saiccor would make the poorest of paper pulps, 

even if a furnish other than Eucalyptus were used� 

The action programme agreed in principle by the Board was: 

To improve quality – Saiccor’s pulp was considered poorer than that 

of its competitors because of high trash levels (spots, ash, calcium 

and silica) and because of the variability of all quality parameters 

(Marcello’s hobby-horse)� It was believed the cause of the problem 

was that all plants were operating above design capacity� Although 

the team did not have any solutions, the action plan was that 

investigations should be undertaken to find solutions� 

116


To make higher alpha pulp – Saiccor to investigate the installation 

of a third bleach plant and new pulp machine, splitting the plant 

into two streams, where one stream could make higher grade 

dissolving pulp and paper pulp� 

To make paper pulp – Saiccor to investigate the making of magnefite 

paper pulp from either Eucalyptus or pine, and to investigate the 

market for this pulp� 

The Review was of the opinion that Eucalyptus was in short supply, 

although Johan van der Walt believed that with improvements already 

made in silviculture, this would soon be reversed� 

In terms of plant and equipment, the Review was repeating 

what was in the magnesium plant proposal of 1982, but with a 

greater emphasis on quality, while the marketing thrust of the 

1985 Saiccor Review has been the basis of Saiccor’s marketing 

strategy ever since� 

I have it on very good authority that Geoff Turner made a second 

presentation of the Saiccor Review, to the Courtaulds Board, in either 

late 1985 or early 1986� In this presentation he recommended to the 

Courtaulds Board that they sell Saiccor� Again only Sipco Huismans 

objected� (Years later when Sipco was Managing Director of 

Courtaulds, and Saiccor was owned by Sappi, Sipco offered Eugene 

van As a blank cheque to have Saiccor back�) 

The third significant event that occurred in 1985 concerned the 

currency debacle� From about 1982 the Courtaulds treasury started 

speculating with currency, by having Saiccor sell some of their dollar 

sales forward to the Reserve Bank when they believed the rand would 

strengthen� The gamble seemed to work until 1985� In early 1985 

there was a fairly widespread belief in financial circles that the rand 

was about to strengthen substantially� Many importers waived 

forward cover while Saiccor sold a large portion of its 1985 dollar 

sales forward� Instead the rand ‘fell out of bed’, and Saiccor, for the 

first time in its history, made a loss (nearly R30 million)� 

Peter Dell was recalled to an undisclosed position at Courtaulds in 

January 1986, only to resign a short while later� 

Norman Wooding and James Wrangham resigned 

from the Saiccor Board� Gordon Campbell replaced 

Peter Dell as Managing Director on 1 February 

1986, and Koos van Rooy became Chairman� 

Production over the Dell period increased by 5 per 

cent in 1983, was static in 1984 and dropped in 1985 

as a result of the start-up of the magnesium plant� 

Saiccor sales outside Courtaulds grew to 45 per 

cent of total sales by 1985, with sales to Japan alone 

being just short of 100 000 tons� Saiccor had 

become an inter-national trader� 

117 

Production t/d in the Dell era, 

1983–1985

The Campbell Period (1986–1987) 

The Campbell Period 

(1986 –1987) 

Gordon Arden Campbell was a 

chemical engineer who worked for 

Courtaulds Acetate, becoming Chief 

Executive before being appointed 



Gordon was a lively, assertive 

individual, who firmly believed 

Saiccor was 20 years behind the 

times, which he determined to 

rectify in as short a time as possible� 

His hobbies were ‘sports of all kinds’, 

having played rugby (for the 

Counties) in his youth, and golf when 

older� He was appointed to the 

Courtaulds Board in 1987 and left 

Saiccor in July 1987, although he 

remained on the Saiccor Board until 

Sappi bought Saiccor in 1988� 

Gordon Arden Campbell, 


119


From 1 February 1986 the Board comprised: P J van Rooy 

(Chairman), N Boutler,* G A Campbell,* S Huismans,* M 

Macdonald, G B Turner*, J L van der Walt and J B Walmisley* 

(*British) 

In October 1986 R R D Duncan-Anderson was appointed to the Board� 

The Management Committee and senior staff remained unchanged 

with the appointment of Gordon Campbell� 

Soon after his appointment, in June 1986, Campbell expressed his 

views on Saiccor: 

Saiccor has developed enormously in the thirty years of its existence, 

but with the exception of the very early years of literally breaking 

new ground, the last three years must have seen the most dramatic 

changes� We have changed from being a producer of pulp solely for 

the Courtaulds group to a major international trader� This has put 

enormous demands on the company to meet new standards in quality, 

service, distribution and finance� However, the need to continue to 

increase output remains as strong as ever and consistent reliable 

production must be a prime target� 

I believe we can continue to expand our business, this will require 

the successful development and co-operation of each area of the 

company – forestry, production, marketing, research, and finance� 

This is really about people – people working constructively together� 

There was, in fact, very little change at Saiccor when it became an 

international trader� But with these principles in mind, Gordon set 

out to create a new image for Saiccor, and to ‘improve and expand 

the technical and development resources’ as recommended in the 1985 

Saiccor Review� He firstly created a new logo, symbolising the 

production of a chemical in an environmentally friendly manner� He 

then launched a biannual company newspaper, the Saiccor News (the 

previous newspaper, The Raypulp Recorder, had been published between 

1960–1962, in 8 volumes)� The first volume of the Saiccor News 

appeared in June 1986� 

The purpose of the paper was to talk about the business and the 

people involved in it, thereby creating a better understanding of the 

120 

P J van Rooy 

Richard ‘Scotch’ Duncan-Anderson


business and a greater interest ‘in our widespread activities’� It was 

then time to ‘improve and expand the technical development 

resources�’ 

Don Campbell retired at the end of 1986� Don’s position of Financial 

Manager was taken over by Richard (‘Scotch’) Duncan-Anderson, 

who was hired as Financial Director, while Jack Ardé was hired as 

Company Secretary� 

Scotch was educated in Zimbabwe, where he trained as an 

accountant before working as an audit manager in Europe for nine 

years� Returning to South Africa, he spent six years in charge of an 

audit group at Anglo American Corporation before joining Saiccor 

on 1 October 1986� He was a keen and competitive sportsman� He 

had a strong desire to expand the role of the finance department� 

Scotch clashed with Hector Mackenzie (Managing Director from 

1987) and left Saiccor in April 1989� 

Jacques (Jack) Ardé was born in Umzinto and is a Natalian through 

and through� He worked as a financial controller for Sterling Drug 

and SA Warehousing, and then as Company Secretary for Carnation 

before joining Saiccor in September 1986� Affable and easy going, 

with an interest in art and travel, Jack remained Company Secretary 

until he retired in April 1993� 

John Hinck, an American chemist, was hired by Campbell as 

Product Development Manager on 1 December 1986� John had worked 

in research, production, and sales first at Rayonier and then at Western 

Pulp, where he had dealings with Campbell when Campbell was 

buying pulp for Courtaulds Acetate� On 1 April 1987 he was appointed 

to the newly defined role of Technical Manager� His brief from 

Campbell was to develop new grades of pulp to provide a wider 

market for Saiccor’s output� John, a music lover and science 

enthusiast, also clashed with Hector Mackenzie and he left in October 

1988� 

Trevor Larkan joined Saiccor on 1 January 1986 to head up a new 

treasury operation� Trevor was an accountant educated at Natal 

University, from where he also had an Honours degree in Financial 

Management� He worked for six years at Unicorn Lines and Jet 

International Travel before joining Saiccor� He was appointed Financial 

Controller and a member of the Management Committee from 1 

April 1987, then Financial Manager in May 1989� Trevor was 

appointed to the Saiccor Board on 1 January 1992 and at the end of 

1992 was appointed Financial Director of Sappi South Africa� He then 

transferred to the United States, ultimately becoming Financial 

Director of Sappi Fine Papers� He left Sappi quite suddenly in October 

2001� Trevor was a fine accountant with a sound understanding of 

how a business functioned� 

In the middle of 1986 John Earnshaw announced that he would be 

leaving Saiccor at the end of 1986 (although he officially retired on 

121 

Jacques ‘Jack’ Ardré 

John Hinck 

Trevor Larkan


1 March 1987)� Although Mike Howlett was the ‘heir apparent’, 

Norman Boulter and I felt line management was not Mike’s forté 

(Mike agreed), and we recruited Chris Williamson as the new Chief 

Engineer on 1 December 1986� Chris graduated as a mechanical 

engineer from Kings College, University of Durham� He came to South 

Africa in 1976 to work for Sasol, then joined Sentrachem before joining 

Saiccor� Unfortunately, he found he preferred project work and in 

July 1996 he relinquished his role as Chief Engineer to work on the 

SAP project� Chris left Saiccor in March 1999 to pursue his career in 

project management� 

By the end of 1986 the Management Committee had been 

transformed and expanded to include the following: 

Gordon Campbell (Managing Director) 

Norman Boulter (Works Director) 

Sinclair Stone (Technical Manager) 

Scotch Duncan-Anderson (Financial Director) 

Bryan Thomas (R & D Manager) 

John Hinck (Product Development Manager) 

Chris Williamson (Chief Engineer) 

Andrew Carr (Commercial Manager) 

Dave Hillcoat (Financial Controller) 

Andy Porter (Personnel Manager) 

Jack Ardé (Company Secretary) 

The magnesium plant operated steadily in 1986, enabling annual 

production to rise to a record level of 1 161 t/d� The newly developed 

Kamyr MC pumps that had been installed in No 2 bleaching allowed 

its throughput to be increased, thereby increasing factory production 

to 1 200 t/d by April 1986� The MC pump was probably the most 

significant development in the pulp and paper industry in the 1980s� 

Sales increased to 1 134 t/d and profits to R94 million� External sales 

made up 51 per cent of total sales� 

Quality also improved� A consistent blend of magnesium pulp 

reduced calcium levels, while silicas and resins also decreased� 

SHEET PULP 

122 

Chris Williamson 


1984 86 269 705 0.15 738 

1985 84 189 667 0.15 840 

1986 71 106 638 0.12 713 

Clive Murphy was hired in 1985 as Marketing Manager – New 

Products, to initiate the sales of lignosulphonate� The only product


available at the time was the 15 per cent solution from the liquor 

discharge phase of the digester cycle� Nevertheless, Clive, Aldo Stella 

(who was transferred from the laboratory to assist Clive), and Joseph 

Mabida (who prepared the product), set about selling 15 per cent 

lignosulphonates almost exclusively for dust suppression� By 1986 

some 50 per cent magnesium liquor became available, which opened 

new markets as a concrete additive, a binder and a resin extender� By 

the end of 1986 about 10 per cent of the local market for 

lignosulphonates had been captured� An evaporator was installed in 

1988 to make 50 per cent calcium lignosulphonates� Sales climbed 

steadily to reach about 600 t/month in the mid-1990s� 

Clive Murphy was appointed to the Management Committee in 

February 1990 but left Saiccor in May that year� Aldo Stella died while 

on holiday in the United States in December 1987, while Joseph 

Mabida was murdered on his way to work during the political turmoil 

of 1990� Noel Rossouw then managed the business until it became 

part of LignoTech in 1999� 

In January 1986 Courtaulds Chairman Sir Christopher Hogg visited 

Saiccor� I had the opportunity of showing him the magnesium plant 

in operation� He was impressed and very pleased, and commented 

that he had not realised how big it was� 

Also in January 1986, the Pondo employees (60 in total) absconded� 

The Pondos, who had been part of Saiccor’s workforce from the 

beginning, had been under threat from the Zulus since November 

1985� The conflict had arisen when a Zulu induna, in a speech in 

Isipingo, had stated that the reason the Zulus had no jobs was that 

the jobs had all been taken by the Pondos� Slowly the Zulus put 

pressure on the Pondos� A Pondo was kicked to death in front of 

Saiccor’s security gate while the four security guards on duty 

supposedly saw nothing� By January 1986 tensions were high and all 

the Pondos ran away, fearing for their lives� No one was employed to 

fill the vacancies and a month later the Pondos returned to work 

without incident, carrying on where they had left off as if nothing 

had happened� There have been no further tensions� 

The Brown and Root proposal for a new submarine effluent pipe 

was received in June 1986� By August 1986 the Department of Water 

Affairs and Forestry agreed to a 3 km stainless steel pipeline with 

diffusers over the last 500 m, on condition that if the environmental 

aesthetics were not improved, Saiccor would extend the pipeline to 

at least 6 km� 

Tenders for the pipeline were called for in November, and Smit Tak 

were selected in January 1987� Orders were placed in February – the 

order for stainless steel was the biggest Columbus (Middleburg Steel) 

had ever received� Construction started in March 1987� Norman 

Boulter managed the overall project, Ted Beesley was Project Engineer, 

123


while Chris Williamson controlled engineering� Brown and Root were 

the project managers with Rick Haggett the Project Director� Smit 

Tak, with Cor Vermeer in charge, were the main contractors who 

subcontracted the 900 mm diameter pipe manufacture to ND 

Engineering, with Allan Lofstrand in charge� 

Site work on Fontana’s farm in Ilfracombe started in April 1987� 

The construction of the jetty through the surf zone also started in 

April 1987� 

A number of small projects aimed at improving pulp quality were 

undertaken over this period, although none had a significant effect, 

namely: 

Improvements made to chip handling (to prevent old chips being 

used)� 

Liquid sulphur dioxide injection into SO 2 Recovery to improve 

liquor strengths� This was not very successful and was abandoned 

after an accident� 

Log washing to reduce incoming silica� 

The installation of sand filters in the calcium plant to reduce silica 

in cooking liquor� This was unsuccessful as filters blocked solid 

with calcium sulphate� Sand filters were moved to the magnesium 

plant in January 1988� 

The redesign of the approach system to No 3 continua to include 

thickeners and fan pump, to enable feed consistency to be dropped 

to No 2 second screening to improve silica removal� Commissioned 

November 1988� 

In December 1985 laboratory tests demonstrated the feasibility of 

making sulphite paper pulp from either Eucalyptus or pine� By 

September 1986 a scheme for cooking pine (to make dissolving pulp) 

was prepared, at a proposed cost of R25 million for additional plant 

and equipment� The price tag dampened Gordon Campbell’s 

enthusiasm somewhat, but in late 1986 John Hinck persuaded Gordon 

that pine could probably be processed without any capital 

expenditure� Gordon’s enthusiasm returned and a pine trial was 

planned for June 1987� Gordon explained his reasoning in the Saiccor 

News of June 1987: 

The demand for viscose fibre and cellophane on a world basis has 

continued to decline, as well as having moved geographically� If Saiccor 

is to remain only a viscose pulp producer we will have to take a larger 

and larger share of that declining market� Although this is perfectly 

possible, the consequences will be a less successful company� An 

alternative strategy is to develop our product range further and thereby 

to open up wider selling opportunities for Saiccor� This is the strategy 

we are investigating at the moment� Many of the potential end users 

require long fibre pulp� So, in the next couple of months we will be 

doing plant trials on the use of pine wood as the source of raw material� 

124


In February 1986 discussions took place with Thermex, a 

Johannesburg company run by Chris Barnard, on making activated 

carbon from Saiccor effluent� The concept was the brainchild of Dr 

Illeri Seppa, an exceedingly bright Finnish chemical engineer� Illeri 

was an ebullient ‘ideas man’, but with a poor command of English, 

which often caused great embarrassment� Laboratory work progressed 

successfully� By early 1987 it was decided to build a pilot plant on a 

joint venture basis between Saiccor and Thermex� Saiccor hired 

Malcolm Simpson (Derek’s brother), a young chemical engineer, to 

work on the pilot plant, and Mike Howlett was the engineering 

advisor� Illeri Seppa led the team� The pilot plant produced a high 

purity carbon that was suitable for further processing to activated 

carbon� By-products included fermentable sugars suitable for 

converting to alcohols or protein� However, by May 1989 it was 

concluded that full-scale exploitation of the process was not 

commercially attractive and all work on the project stopped� Seppa 

wrote a scientific paper on the work, where in the final 

acknowledgement his poor command of English, coupled with his 

exuberant confidence, led to a typical faux pas: 

‘…and finally to Mike Howlett, technical projects manager for Sappi- 

Saiccor, who assessed and corrected the drafts of this paper into native 

English language and who is largely responsible for its total lack of 

comprehensibility�’ 

By the middle of 1986 the black trade union SAWU started expressing 

discontent with the job grades (which had been established by 

management) at Saiccor� When management tried to circumvent the 

issue, the union became more adamant until management finally agreed 

in November 1986 to regrade all jobs in the wage earning category 

according to the internationally accepted Patterson system� This was 

an enormous undertaking, as many of the jobs had no job description� 

At the same time, November 1986, the random breathalyser was 

introduced at Saiccor, following an accident in the boiler house in 

which an outside contractor died� Although the Inspector of 

Machinery, Colin Murphy, did not apportion any blame to Saiccor, 

he asked what steps were being taken to prevent people under the 

influence entering the factory� The breathalyser was not well received! 

Even today, after being in constant operation for 15 years, it is still 

the subject of fierce criticism, as many people have been dismissed as 

a result of its reading� 

In August 1986 Saiccor had a visit from the Department of Health 

informing us that both local residents and the press had become more 

sensitive to air pollution from Saiccor� Consultants were engaged to 

measure sulphur dioxide emissions from all stacks and sulphur dioxide 

levels in the surrounding communities� Once the results were known, 

125


Saiccor proposed piping the exhaust from the Hagglund towers (the 

highest source of sulphur dioxide emissions) to the venturis in the 

magnesium plant� The Department of Health was happy with the 

proposal� The project went ahead and was commissioned in June 

1988, just two months after the first official gas complaint from 

Umkomaas and Ilfracombe� 

In late 1986 Gordon Campbell sold the Lido because it was not 

profitable� It was probably never profitable, but was kept as a 

convenience for functions and guests� Oakley Tainton insisted on 

Saiccor guests staying at the Lido, which had ensured some occupancy, 

but when Oakley retired the practise ceased, leading to a decline in 

occupancy with its inevitable consequence� The Lido was so much a 

part of Saiccor’s history, it was sad to see it go� 

Production dropped from 1 170 t/d to 1 153 t/d in the last calendar 

quarter of 1986, and continued to fall to 1 115 t/d in the second 

quarter of 1987� Morale had started to deteriorate� The organisation 

was changing, which could be accepted, but there was a feeling that 

longer-serving employees, particularly the Italians, were not 

recognised for the contribution they had made to the success of the 

business� There were too many new positions and too many new 

people in senior positions� The Italians, who were then nearly all in 

their mid to late fifties, believed that although they had given their 

lives to making Saiccor a success, no one now even knew what they 

had achieved, nor did they care � 

Gordon Campbell asked me in the second quarter of 1987 what we 

needed to do to make 1 200 t/d� I suggested we give out 30 company 

motor cars� Gordon answered that he would be happy to give one or 

two cars if that could solve the problem, but 30 were out of the question� 

‘Do you know that in Grimsby only the factory manager has a company 

car?’ was his response� He would not accept that the practice in South 

Africa was different from that in the UK� At that time only Saiccor’s 

Management Committee had company cars, which was far less than 

other comparable companies in South Africa� 

Early in 1987 Norman Boulter announced he would be retiring at 

the end of May 1987� Gordon Campbell reorganised fairly quickly� I 

was to become Works Manager and John Hinck Technical Manager, 

from 1 April 1987� However, the role of Technical Manager had been 

redefined to include quality assurance, product and process 

development, process specification, and to provide technical support 

through his department� 

Bryan Thomas reported to John Hinck� Mike Howlett transferred 

to the technical department as a development engineer, and other 

transfers to the technical department from the production 

department were Wayne Weston, a young chemical engineer who 

126


had joined Saiccor on 1 May 1986, and Gunther Garz and Chris Baum, 

who had both just completed their chemical engineering diplomas� 

Derek Weightman was appointed Deputy Works Manager (the old 

Technical Manager position), while the Assistant Technical Manager 

position became Plant Manager – Mike Bentley was moved to Pulp 

Finishing as Plant Manager, while Martin Ferreira was appointed Plant 

Manager for Pulp Preparation from April 1987� Silvano Moro, who 

had been at Saiccor since its inception, was appointed Production 

Manager of the magnesium plant� 

Although Norman Boulter was to retire at the end of May 1987, 

he agreed to stay on in a consulting capacity to look after three 

projects, the effluent pipeline, the carbon pilot plant (Saicarb) and 

the flats in the town of Magabeni (which were all completed by May 

1989)� He also remained on the Board as a non-executive director 

until the Sappi purchase in 1988� 

Shortly after the reorganisation of Saiccor, it was announced that 

Gordon Campbell had been appointed to the Courtaulds Board, where 

he retained responsibility for the Pulp Product Group worldwide, 

remaining on the Saiccor Board� Although Gordon left Saiccor in the 

middle of July 1987, Hector Mackenzie took over as Managing 

Director from 1 June 1987� 

127 

Silvano Moro

The Mackenzie Period (1987–1989) 

The Mackenzie Period 

(1987 –1989) 

Dr Hector Douglas Mackenzie, a 

chemist, was Site Director at 

Grimsby in the UK before becoming 


June 1987� He had worked in 

research and production at 

Courtaulds from 1955, and was joint 

Technical Manager at Usutu from 

1960 to 1963� Hector was a polite, 

‘old-fashioned’ English gentleman, 

but was as tough as teak in his 

business dealings� 

Dr Hector Douglas Mackenzie 

129


From 1 June 1987 the Board comprised: P J van Rooy 

(Chairman), H D Mackenzie,* N Boulter,* G A Campbell,* 

R R D Duncan-Anderson, S Huismans,* M Macdonald and 

J L van der Walt� (*British) 

At this time, I was Works Manager� I was born in Johannesburg on 

26 July 1942� After completing school at CBC in Bulawayo (in what 

was then Rhodesia), I returned to Johannesburg to study chemical 

engineering at Wits� From there I worked in London for four years 

before joining Saiccor’s Process Investigation department in May 1972� 

In 1976 I was appointed Assistant Technical Manager, in 1982 

Technical Manager, in 1987 Works Manager, and appointed to the 

Saiccor Board in January 1992� 

The Management Committee comprised: 

Hector Mackenzie (Managing Director) 

‘Scotch’ Duncan-Anderson (Financial Director) 

Sinclair Stone (Works Manager) 

John Hinck (Technical Manager) 

Bryan Thomas (R & D Manager) 

Chris Williamson (Chief Engineer) 


Trevor Larkan (Financial Controller) 

Andy Porter (Personnel Manager) 


Derek Weightman was Deputy Works Manager, while Plant Managers 

were Mike Bentley (Finishing), and Martin Ferreira (Preparation)� 

Production Managers were Bepi Martelossi, John Davey, Ennio Zan, 

Marino Cudin, Sergio Baldo and Silvano Moro, with Gordon Vice as 

Woodyard Supervisor� 

Sergio Baldo was born on 21 March 1937 in San Giorgio di Nogaro 

and came to South Africa in 1957 to work on the mines – he had not 

been associated with SAICI� He joined Saiccor on 16 April 1963 as a 

fitter, and soon became the key artisan in the liquor plant, doing 

every imaginable job from lead burning to brick laying� 

In 1981 Sergio was appointed a Production Superintendent and then 

Production Manager of the liquor plant in July 1987, a position he held 

until he retired on 1 May 1997, during which time he took the liquor 

plant from its antiquated state into the 21st century� Sadly, he died on 

12 February 2000� Sergio had an extremely inquiring mind, seeking 

reasons for everything� He was a most capable individual who 

succeeded at all he did through dedicated effort� He felt a closeness 

to the working man� In his spare time he was a cook of note� 

John Davey was born on 31 January 1927 and was schooled at 

Merchiston in Pietermaritzburg, and Kersney� He farmed with his 

130 


Sergio Baldo 

John Davey


father before joining Saiccor on 21 September 1962 as a crane driver� 

On 1 May 1969 he was appointed Woodyard Supervisor, and was 

transferred to the flock plant on 12 July 1982� He later also took control 

of No 1 continua� He retired on 1 March 1992� John was a man with 

very firm opinions and, being reluctant to compromise, often found 

himself at loggerheads with colleagues� He was a tough task master 

but a good manager, and a keen and competent sportsman� 

Divisional Engineers were Basilio Segatto, Owen Spence and Henry 

Zan� Services Engineer was Lionel Davies, Electrical was Jimmy 

McFeat, Instruments Barry Tokelove, Workshops Attilio Segatto and 

Building Luigi Mazzaro� 

Luigi Mazzaro is the son of Lorenzo, who came to Saiccor on 24 

June 1954, and retired as a Boilermaker Chargehand in the workshop 

on 1 May 1991� Luigi was born in San Giorgio di Nogaro on 1 August 

1952 and came to South Africa in October 1956� After a successful 

school career, he spent two years at University before joining civil 

consultants, where he completed a civil engineering diploma (T4)� 

He joined Saiccor on 1 April 1978, where he completed his T5� He 

was appointed Building Manager on 1 June 1987� 

Luigi was a star footballer, turning down professional offers when 

he was 17, but toured Europe in 1977 as part of the SA Universities 

team� He was a leading player at the Umkomaas Football Club� 

Barry Norman Tokelove was born on 7 December 1932 to a family 

with deep-seated British colonial traditions – the wearing of a pith 

helmet was mandatory� He was educated at Kersney, which developed 

his innate sense of humour and fun� After obtaining his 

instrumentation diploma, he worked at the CSIR before joining 

Saiccor on 1 March 1971 as Assistant Instruments Engineer� He was 

promoted to Instruments Engineer on 1 January 1976 and retired on 

1 May 1994� 

Ciano Ioppo was Projects Manager and Alfredo Battiston Chief 


Although Bill Hudson left Saiccor at the end of July 1986, the 

accounts department was still adequately staffed with Scotch 

Duncan-Anderson, Trevor Larkan, Jimmy McInnes, Dave Clark, Reg 

Bartlett and Robin Pollock� 

Kier Murray was the Chief Buyer and Mike McCann was the 

medical officer� 

Bruce Peddie retired at the end of May 1987, having been in charge 

of fire, safety, and security since January 1984, before which he worked 

for many years as a Personnel Officer� When Bruce retired, Brian White 

was seconded from Courtaulds for three years as Saiccor’s Safety 

Manager� Brian was a chemical engineer who had branched into safety 

fairly early in his career and had gained much safety experience at 

Courtaulds� Phil Glannister soon followed Brian as head of fire and 

security, a job in which he had gained much experience at Courtaulds� 

131 

Luigi Mazzaro 

Barry Tokelove


The first major event to occur in the Mackenzie era was the pine 

run, although the planning had preceded him� In the middle of July 

1987, 10 000 tons of debarked pine logs arrived at Saiccor� The plan 

was to chip all the logs and process all the chips as soon as possible, 

before they had a chance of turning ‘blue’� 

Cooking started on 20 July, and all seemed to be going well until 

the pine pulp reached the first pressure washer in the magnesium 

plant� The pine pulp drained so much better than Eucalyptus that the 

washer drum could not slow down far enough to keep it working 

properly� From there on it was one disaster after another� The poorly 

washed pulp came out of No 9 storage tower in slugs, as the tower 

has no mixer� Being so poorly washed, it could not be properly bleached 

– it was off colour and full of big shives (in addition the disc knotters 

could not handle the pine)� The consistency of the feed to the machine 

was extremely variable, and although the sheet varied in thickness 

from tissue paper to board, it was tough enough not to break� The 

trial was abandoned as soon as the pulp came through bleaching, 450 

tons were processed, all substandard� Half the pine chips were thrown 

away while the process was contaminated with pine shives for weeks� 

The trial was a disaster, but some important lessons were learned for 

a further trial, after all pine had been used successfully at Saiccor in 

the 1960s� But up to today no further trial has taken place� 

The pine trial was just over, when, on 26 July, there was a huge 

electrical fire in No 19 substation� Damage was severe and took seven 

days to repair, during which time the entire calcium plant was out of 

action and some 7 000 t of pulp were lost� 

On 11 September 1987 I had a visit from Ted Beesley and Rick 

Haggett� As Norman Boulter was on leave, they were reporting 

progress on the effluent pipeline to me� As far as I could ascertain, 

the pipe was ready to pull into the ocean but Ted and Rick wanted 

more time to do some final checking� Thinking they were 

procrastinating, I asked them to start the pull the next day� At 3�30 

Work on the stainless steel effluent pipe at ND 

Engineering’s workshops, 1987 

132 

Sections of the pipe on site, just before installation


pm my wife Yvonne, clutching a bottle of champagne 

(much to Franco Scarpa’s protestations, as he thought 

there were much better uses for a bottle of champagne), 

clambered into the pipe trench to launch the pipeline, 

named ‘Ted’s Flute’� 

A temporary jetty was specially constructed for the 

‘pulling’ of the pipe� Contractors Smit Tak, under Cor 

Vermeer, were a very professional outfit, steadily pulling 

the pipe 3 km out to sea from 3�30 pm on 12 to 20 

September, without any major problem� The landline 

was then laid and the new effluent pipeline was 

commissioned on 20 November 1987� This was a very 

successful project, coming in on time and within the 

R30 million budget, and complaints about effluent 

ceased until the Mkomazi plant was commissioned in 

1995� 

About a week after the laying of the new pipeline, 

420 mm of rain fell in the Mkomazi catchment area, 

most of it between 25 and 29 September� The river level 

started rising steadily� By the morning of the 28th the 

level was looking dangerous and cooking was stopped� 

By 3�30 pm the rest of the factory was stopped� At 6 pm 

the water intake was abandoned as water was starting 

to run across the operating floor, which was normally 

some 8 m above the river level� The river flow reached a 

peak of 7 000 cumecs (250 000 cusecs), coming to within 

half a metre of the top of the berm on the west side of the factory, 

and dangerously close to flowing into the site at the woodyard� 

The flood had wreaked havoc� The open effluent channel from the 

factory to the pumphouse (3,5 km) was filled with mud� The plastic 

lining in the channel had been ripped for 1 km, 1,1 km of rail line 

ballast had been damaged, the overhead power line to the effluent 

pumphouse was down for 1,5 km, and the walkway to the intake 

pumps and the sheet piling were destroyed� The new effluent pipeline 

LEFT, the road bridge to Magabeni at the time of the flood and, RIGHT, 

under normal conditions 

133 

The temporary jetty constructed for the ‘pulling’ of 

the pipe by contractors Smit Tak 

The plaque commemorating the launch of the effluent 

pipeline, ‘Ted’s Flute’, on 12 September 1987 

TOP, the factory at the time of the 

flood (downstream from the 

bridge) and, BOTTOM, under 

normal conditions


was 150 mm higher than intended in the surf zone, 

where mechanical trenching was hampered by flood 

debris� 

The major undertaking was to clear the effluent 

channel� Since access to the channel was impossible for 

machines, the job had to be done by hand� As the factory 

had stopped operating, there were some 500 operating 

personnel available� Work could commence as soon as 

500 shovels could be obtained� By one of the strangest 

coincidences imaginable, the small R & R Hardware store 

outside the factory (where the contractors’ yard is 

today), had 400 shovels! Work commenced but the 

operators soon found the task heavy going and some 

started disappearing into the bush along the 3,5 km 

channel� After a few days it became necessary to hire 

casual labour through Murray & Roberts to complete 

the job� 

The factory restarted slowly, on 10 October� 

March 1988 marked the end of a poor financial year in 

terms of mill performance� Production was down at 1 

041 t/d due to the pine trial, fires and the flood, which 

also had a detrimental effect on quality� Courtaulds, who 

at that stage accounted for 50 per cent of Saiccor’s sales, were forced 

to buy pulp on the open market, while sales to external customers 

were postponed� Pulp prices however, were firm, giving record 

operating profits of R96 million� 

Capital expenditure had been curtailed by Courtaulds from 1986, 

and only items considered essential were approved� Hence there were 

only a few projects initiated or completed in 1987/88� 

The effluent pipeline was commissioned in November 1987� 

The 500 operating personnel from the factory were set to task clearing the mud from the effluent channel after the 

flood� 

134 

TOP, debris on the beach and, 

BOTTOM, the rail/road bridge at 

the Mkomazi River mouth


The replacement of No 7 digester in stainless steel was 

commissioned in September 1987� The request to replace No 6, 

the last low pressure digester, was not approved in two successive 

years� 

The elements in the evaporator had started tearing apart� Mondi 

had experienced the same problem at Richards Bay, and we 

concluded – although could not prove – that the elements were 

poorly manufactured in the UK� Replacement elements were 

ordered from Sumitomo in Japan in May 1988 for R12 million, 

which was more than the cost of the entire evaporator plant in 

1983 (R10 million)� 

At the start of the new financial year, Hector Mackenzie asked me 

what needed to be done to make 1 200 t/d� I again suggested 30-odd 

motor cars� Hector was quite receptive to the idea, but needed to 

clear it with Gordon Campbell, which I knew would be a stumbling 

block� 

On Saturday 1 May 1988, Cesare Mensi died at work of natural 

causes� Cesare was born on 11 January 1927 in Torviscosa and came 

to Saiccor on 5 August 1954 as a fitter� He became expert in installing 

machine clothing and adhesives and despite being diabetic, would 

think nothing of working 40 hour stints – he was one of very few 

people flown from his holiday in Cape Town to deal with an 

emergency� A member of Martelossi’s choir, he was President of the 

Italian Club at the time of his death� 

Early in the new financial year I had an unexpected visit from Gordon 

Campbell� He firstly swore me to secrecy, then proceeded to say he 

was negotiating the sale of Saiccor to Sappi� As Sappi were not going 

to visit the site, he wanted me to confirm all Saiccor’s assets with 

the lawyers� The reasons he gave for the sale were that the pulp 

business was not part of Courtaulds’ core activities and they found 

it hard to come to terms with the capital intensity of the business� 

He felt Saiccor’s future would be better served by someone like Sappi, 

who had a better understanding of the business, and its requirements� 

He emphasised that it was not for political reasons� 

I went through the asset register with the lawyers and over the 

next few months negotiations took place� On 15 July 1988 the 

momentous announcement was made that Sappi was buying Saiccor� 

The news created a great deal of uncertainty at Saiccor, although 

Hector Mackenzie soon sent out a notice to reassure employees, 

concluding: ‘A takeover of one company by another is bound to be 

unsettling, but I genuinely believe that Sappi will invest more money 

than Courtaulds could, given the circumstances� This should be to 

the benefit of Saiccor and its employees provided our performance 

takes advantage of the new opportunities�’ 

135 

Cesare Mensi


Saiccor’s management team at the time of the Sappi takeover in 1988 remained unchanged� BACK ROW, LEFT TO 

RIGHT: Bryan Thomas, Trevor Larkan, Andrew Carr, John Hinck, Andy Porter� FRONT ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Jack 

Ardé, Scotch Duncan-Anderson, Hector Mackenzie, Sinclair Stone and Chris Williamson 

Eugene van As, Managing Director of Sappi, asserted: ‘Sappi have 

acquired a successful business, and it is not their intention to ruin it 

by unnecessary interference�’ 

Eugene has been true to his word� The only change to Saiccor staff 

was the appointment of Roland Mazery as Managing Director 

designate to replace Hector Mackenzie when he reached retirement 

age on 1 June 1989� 

Hector Mackenzie told Sappi News (September 1988): ‘We are 

making so much money, we’ll be an embarrassment to Courtaulds 

for having sold us� Saiccor is a tremendous investment�’ 

All Saiccor employees were fortunate in that all their conditions 

of employment were restated on the basis that if a Saiccor condition 

was better, they would keep it, if not they would change to the Sappi 

condition� 

The Saiccor management team at the time of the takeover was left 

unchanged� 

All staff positions were graded according to Peromnes, a Sappi 

practice, and all grade 7 and above positions received company motor 

cars� There were soon 30-odd new cars in the parking lot – and a 

feeling of ‘justice at last’� 

Sappi formally became the owners of Saiccor on 19 September 1988, 

and Usutu on 20 September 1988� The last ‘old’ Saiccor Board meeting 

136


took place on 10 August 1988� At a dinner for the Board and Saiccor 

management preceding the meeting, Gordon Campbell thanked the 

IDC for being such a good partner over so many years� Koos van 

Rooy reciprocated for the IDC� 

The Business Day on 29 August 1988 noted: ‘Sappi shareholders have 

approved one of the largest transactions in the history of S�A� business 

– the R1,05 billion acquisition of control of Saiccor and Usutu Pulp�’ 

The South African Industrial Mirror (October 1988) went on: 

‘This (the acquisition) effectively puts Sappi in the big league of 

the world’s top 25 paper producers and increases the group’s turnover 

from the current R1 500 million to about R2 400 million� This latest 

expansion can be seen as the most important milestone in Sappi’s 

history and transforms the company into one of the two mega powers 

in the South African industrial arena� 

‘Other effects of this dramatic expansion are that the number of 

Sappi employees has suddenly doubled from 12 000 to nearly 25 000 

and that the total amount of timberland is increased from 156 000 

hectares to 299 000 hectares� The takeover of these two companies 

has made Sappi the second biggest industrial group in South Africa – 

Sasol being the biggest – and bigger than competitor Mondi�’ 

Gavin Relly, then Chairman of Anglo American, commented that 

he was sorry he could not buy Saiccor for Mondi� 

Over the next 10 years the acquisition of Saiccor helped Sappi buy 

other companies in the pulp and paper industry in Europe and the 

US, making Sappi the world’s largest producer of coated wood-free 

fine paper� 

The money Courtaulds received for Saiccor was invested in the 

chemical industry in the United States; but this did little to help the 

ailing giant� Part of the sale of Saiccor was a 10-year sales agreement 

in which Sappi would sell 200 000 t of pulp to Courtaulds at a discount 

of 20 per cent to the market price, with the discount steadily 

decreasing to 7,5 per cent over the 10 years� This went some way to 

help Courtaulds, but could not prevent its slow demise� 

In his early days as Chairman of Courtaulds, Lord Kearton followed 

a strategy of vigorous expansion, building Courtaulds into a massive 

industrial conglomerate, one of the largest in the UK (which he held 

together), with 145 000 employees� In the last two years of Kearton’s 

reign the company’s earnings started to decline, which did not 

improve through 1976–1979 with Sir Arthur Knight at the helm� 

When Sir Christopher Hogg became Chairman in 1979, he changed 

Courtaulds’ strategy� Each unit or company had to make a profit or 

close down� Although profits did eventually improve, the massive 

conglomerate started shrinking� 

Why did Courtaulds sell Saiccor? Sir Christopher Hogg said at the 

time: ‘This sale marks an important step in the evolution of 

137


Courtaulds into a more focused, management intensive, growth 

company� Given the competing demands for investment from our 

other business sectors we decided some time ago that this business 

(wood pulp), despite its strength, could not offer Courtaulds a long 

term growth opportunity�’ 

By the time Saiccor was sold, the total number of people employed 

by Courtaulds had dropped to 45 000, and continued to fall until 

Courtaulds was bought by the Dutch company Akzo Nobel in June 

1998 while Gordon Campbell was at the helm� In the early 1970s 

Courtaulds operated viscose mills at Grimsby, Greenfield and 

Carrickfergus in the UK, Calais in France, Mobile in the USA and in 

Canada, plus cellophane plants in Bridgwater and Barrow in the UK 

and in Canada� In 2001, the last remaining Courtaulds factories, 

Grimsby and finally Mobile (started in 1952), were shut down� 

Shortly after the formal change of ownership on 19 September 

1988, the Sappi Executive visited Saiccor – they seemed pleased with 

their purchase� In early October Saiccor hosted 150 delegates from 

the Sappi Management Conference, when Saiccor was warmly 

welcomed into the Sappi fold� Roland Mazery arrived at Saiccor on 

1 November� 

While the change of ownership was making headlines, life within 

Saiccor carried on as normal, with several improvements being made� 

In October 1988 a new Accuray digester computer was 

commissioned� 

Between 6 and 30 November 1988 the evaporator elements were 

replaced� The new Sumitomo elements consisted of two banks, 

one 12 ft long the other 24 ft long, the original elements were 36 

ft long� 

The modified approach system for No 3 continua with fan pump 

and thickener was commissioned between 22 and 25 November 

1988� 

Additional water softeners were commissioned in November 1988� 

A second-hand 10 t/h ball mill for crushing limestone was 

commissioned in March 1989� The limestone atritor that had 

‘crashed’ so many times in its lifetime was finally laid to rest� 

Saiccor presented its first budget to the Sappi Executive at the 

Johannesburg Head Office on 17 November 1988� The budget was 

well received and surprisingly the capital expenditure (including No 

6 digester replacement) was accepted unchallenged� Noting the 

surprise, Eugene van As commented, ‘I am quite willing to spend 

money if it makes money’, a refreshing attitude not seen at Saiccor 

since the late 1970s� 

The year 1989 marked 35 years service for those who came to 

Umkomaas in 1954 to build Saiccor, a proud moment for those men 

who were now no longer young� 

138


1989 marked 35 years service for those who came to Umkomaas in 1954 to build Saiccor, a proud moment for those 

men who were now no longer young 

In view of this pending anniversary, Hector Mackenzie’s notice of 

1 December 1988 appeared bizarre (remembering also that most of 

Natal regarded 2 January as a public holiday)� 

At the last meeting of the old Saiccor Board on Wednesday August 

10th 1988, prior to ownership passing to Sappi, the then Chairman, 

Mr P J van Rooy proposed, and it was unanimously approved by the 

directors representing the Courtaulds Group and the Industrial 

Development Corporation of South Africa, that when a suitable 

opportunity arose their appreciation should be expressed in some 

tangible way to all employees for all they had done to contribute to 

the success of Saiccor� 

As a small token of appreciation it has been decided that New Year’s 

day which falls on a Sunday, and would not normally be enjoyed as 

a public holiday, will be transferred on this occasion to Monday 2nd 

January 1989, which will therefore be treated as a paid holiday� 

As this was the only ‘token’ of appreciation for 35 years of success, 

the notice went down like a lead balloon� 

The 11-month financial year ended successfully on 28 February 

1989 (Sappi’s year end)� Production improved to average 1 086,4 t/d 

(95 per cent of budget) and firmer pulp prices resulted in operating 

income rising to R212 million (US$90 million)� Fifty per cent of sales 

were to Courtaulds� 

In October 1988 there was a Courtaulds-Saiccor research meeting 

at Saiccor at which André Vlok, Sappi’s Technical Director, facilitated� 

The meeting initiated a disagreement between Hector Mackenzie 

139


and John Hinck, after which John left Saiccor� Bryan Thomas was 

appointed Technical Manager from 1 November 1988� 

The relationship between Hector Mackenzie and Scotch Duncan- 

Anderson became strained and Scotch left in April 1989� Trevor Larkan 

was appointed Financial Manager from 1 May 1989� 

Hector Mackenzie retired from Saiccor and Courtaulds at the end 

of May 1989 and returned to Grimsby (UK)� Roland Mazery became 

Managing Director of Saiccor on 1 June 1989� 

140

The Mazery Period (1989–1996) 

The Mazery Mackenzie Period Period 

(1989 (1987 –1996) –1989) 

Although born in Mauritius on 15 

August 1940, Roland Egon Jean- 

Marie Mazery was schooled in Bath, 

England, which gave him some 

English mannerisms but could not 

disguise his French temperament� 

He first joined Gencor’s buying 

department before becoming 

Personal Assistant to Sappi’s 

Managing Director, then General 

Manager of Sappi Cape Kraft, then 

General Manager of Sappi Tugela 

before becoming Managing Director 

of Saiccor on 1 June 1989� 

Mazery was intelligent and highly 

reactive� Marcello Malpiedi 

described him as an ‘unguided 

missile’� He had the courage of his Roland Egon Jean-Marie Mazery, 

strong convictions and always 

defended his people� He led Saiccor 


through a very active period and retired on 1 October 1996� 

141


At the start of his tenure the Board comprised: E van As 

(Chairman), R E J Mazery and J B Walmisley�* (*British) 

In June 1991 Ian Heron was appointed Managing Director 

of Sappi South Africa and Chairman of Saiccor� An 

accountant, Ian had previously been the CEO of Southern Suns� At 

the same time the Saiccor Board was expanded to include B M Dick, 

I D Forbes, W E Hewitt, M P de Waard and A Vlok� 

Other changes that took place were: 

J B Walmisley resigned, June 1991 

S L Stone appointed, January 1992 

T L Larkan appointed, January 1992 

Sappi Limited formed: E van As, W E Hewitt and A Vlok resigned 

from the Saiccor Board, 1993 

M Malpiedi appointed, March 1994 

T L Larkan resigned, September 1994 

M W Turner appointed, June 1995 

H Pienaar appointed, September 1995 – resigned September 1996 


Roland Mazery (Managing Director) 

Sinclair Stone (Works Manager) 

Trevor Larkan (Financial Manager) 

Bryan Thomas (Technical Manager) 

Chris Williamson (Engineering Manager) 


Andy Porter (Human Resources Manager) 


The following changes occurred to the Management Committee over 

the Mazery period: 

In March 1990, Saiccor’s shipping department transferred to Sappi 

International in Durban, to be managed by Andrew Carr, who 

left Saiccor � 

Trevor Larkan was promoted to Head Office at the end of 1992 

and Mike Turner became Financial Manager on 1 February 1993� 

Mike started his career at Sappi as an accountant at Head Office, 

was then promoted to General Manager of Sappi Stanger for a 

few years, before joining Saiccor� Mike was appointed to the 

Saiccor Board in June 1995� 

Bryan Thomas retired on 1 April 1993 and was replaced by Derek 

Weightman� 

Derek was born on 14 April 1952 in York, England� He graduated 

from the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and 

Technology, in Chemistry in 1974, and joined Courtaulds as a 

research chemist� He was seconded to Saiccor in March 1977, also 

as a research chemist in the laboratory� He was appointed Chief 

142 

Eugene van As, Chairman 

1988–1991 

Jim Walmisley 

Ian Heron, Chairman 1991-1996


Chemist on 1 July 1980, and on 1 May 1984 transferred to the 

plant as Assistant Technical Manager, then to Deputy Works 

Manager on 1 April 1987� Derek transferred to Usutu as Mill 

Manager in May 1990, returning to Saiccor on 1 February 1994 as 

Technical Manager� He was appointed to the Board in November 

1997� He is a man with a high intelligence and a profound 

understanding of chemistry, a keen cricketer and an ardent 

supporter of Manchester United� 

Jack Ardé retired as Company Secretary on 1 April 1993 and was 

replaced by Graham Coxell, an accountant who had been 

Assistant Administration Manager at Majuba Colliery� 

Most of the early Saiccor employees, with 30 to 40 years experience, 

retired between 1989 and 1996� Because of this and because of 

increasing legal requirements over the period, a number of changes 

were made in the management of the organisation� The business was 

to become increasingly complex� 

When Derek Weightman transferred to Usutu as Mill Manager, 

the position of Deputy Works Manager was not filled� 

Plant Managers were Martin Ferreira, Pulp Preparation (including 

Magnesium) and Mike Bentley for Pulp Finishing� Ciano Ioppo retired 

at the end of August 1992 and was replaced by Mike Bentley� Martin 

moved to Pulp Finishing and Peter Morris was appointed Plant 

Manager for Pulp Preparation� Martin retired on 1 December 1993 

and Gary Bowles took over the position� Eddie Watson was appointed 

Plant Manager of the Mkomazi plant on 1 July 1993� 

Production Managers were Martelossi, E Zan, Davey, Cudin, Baldo, 

Moro, Morris and Vice� Martelossi had a stroke, Zan, Davey, Cudin 

and Vice retired, and Morris was promoted – they were replaced by 

George Marshall, Wayne Weston, Eddie Watson, Andy Stretton, 

Eridanio di Marco and Tony Neave� Rowland Barnard and Neil Yelland 

served as Production Managers for a short time before resigning� 

In October 1990, Assistant Engineering Managers were appointed: 

Garth James for Pulp Preparation (including magnesium), Owen 

Spence for Pulp Finishing and Graham Kelly for Services and 

Instruments� 

Divisional Engineers were B Segatto, Biral, H Zan and Natali� All 

but Henry Zan retired and the following were appointed; Silvio 

Ceriani, Mike Cathro, Enoc Baldin, Bepi Trevisan and Alan Whelan� 

Lionel Davies was Services Engineer, Barry Tokelove Instruments 

Engineer and Luigi Mazzaro Building Manager� Jimmy McFeat was 

Electrical Engineer but retired on 1 October 1989� He was replaced by 

John Rea, who left in May 1990 and was replaced by Gary Bowles in 

November 1990� 

Attilio Segatto retired at the end of March 1989 and Max de 

Robillard took over the management of the mechanical workshop 

143 

Mike Turner 

Derek Weightman 

Graham Coxell


before Attilio left� Pierre Auguste Maxime (Max) de Robillard was 

born in Mauritius and came to South Africa in 1954� He spent all his 

working life in engineering workshops, running his own business for 

a period� 

Taking over Saiccor’s workshop from 1 December 1987 was a great 

challenge, as over the previous 20 years most of the work had been 

done from memory or from the back of a ‘cigarette box’� In addition 

to creating working drawings, Max introduced strict discipline and 

timekeeping, which was not easily accepted by the workforce� The 

‘removal of Max’ was a frequent demand on placards at ‘toyi-toyies’, 

but over the years Max has created an ordered and efficient workshop� 

Ciano Ioppo was Projects Manager but retired at the end of August 

1992 and Mike Bentley took over� Tony Butler was Assistant Projects 

Manager and Alfredo Battiston was Chief Draughtsman� Alfredo 

retired at the end of February 1992 and Piero Simonetti became Chief 


To offer a greater support to our customers, Lester van Groeningen 

was appointed Technical Services Manager on 1 December 1990� 

Lester joined Saiccor’s laboratory on 1 February 1977 while studying 

for his National Diploma in chemistry� He left Saiccor at the end of 

1981 but returned at the beginning of 1983 when he completed his 

Higher National Diploma� He was appointed Chief Chemist on 1 

May 1984, Technical Services Manager in December 1990, and 

Technical Services and Product Development Manager on 1 April 

1993� 

Derek Simpson became Laboratory Manager on 1 December 1990� 

Derek, a chemistry graduate, had grown up in Kenya and joined 

Saiccor on 1 April 1984 as a research chemist in the laboratory� 

Ted Beesley officially retired in 1991� Alison Simpson (Malcolm’s 

wife) joined Saiccor in June 1989 as a possible successor, but the 

Simpsons left for the UK at the end of September 1990� Derek Airey 

was engaged as an environmentalist to succeed Ted on 1 November 

1990� Derek, a marine biologist, worked for the CSIR before joining 

Saiccor, where together with Allan Connell in 1985 he carried out a 

photographic survey of the Aliwal Shoal, and the wreck of the Produce 

for a comparison with a survey completed in 1980� They produced a 

book of beautiful underwater photographs, concluding that they 

‘could not find any evidence to show that life on the reef or the wreck 

is affected by Saiccor effluent�’ Derek and photographer Peter Pinnock 

updated the book in 1995, finding sea life still unaffected� 

Maurice Hart was appointed Commercial Manager on 1 September 

1993� Maurice had joined Saiccor from Toyota on 1 August 1987 as 

IT Manager� 

Jim Walmisley left SPT (Speciality Pulp Trading) and returned to 

the United Kingdom in June 1989� Hugh Martin, a member of the 

sales force at Sappi Kraft, took over as Managing Director of SPT and 

144 

‘Max’ de Robillard 

Piero Simonetti 

Lester van Groeningen 

Derek Simpson


moved to Hong Kong on 1 April 1989, where he has remained ever 

since, making the position his own� Marcello Malpiedi guided Hugh 

into the dissolving pulp business and the two remained together until 

Marcello retired in 1993� Hugh, a Scot with a fine sense of humour 

and fun, is a man with definite opinions that he expresses freely� He 

has now looked after Saiccor and Usutu sales for 13 years� 

Production stepped up a gear in 1989 and remained there through 

the years 1989–1994, averaging 1 175 t/d over the period – the 

‘nameplate’ capacity of the mill� Record production was achieved in 

1989, 1991 and 1992� 

Year Production t/d Year Production t/d 

1988 1 080 1992 1 232 

1989 1 181 1993 1 158 

1990 1 142 1994 1 154 

1991 1 181 

The reasons for the solid performance were good morale among the 

people and some capital expenditure� Naturally, the higher production 

translated into better operating profits, which made everybody happy� 

Although capital expenditure was designed to improve plant 

operation throughout the mill, there was somewhat more emphasis 

on improving cooking liquor concentrations to benefit cooking and 

increasing operating efficiencies by using more sophisticated electronic 

instrumentation (DCS)� Some of the capital projects to come on 

stream were: 

May 1989 Evaporator for lignosulphonates� 

Mar 1990 Honeywell DCS for coal boilers� 

Jun 1990 No 6 digester taken out of service, new No 6 digester 

operating 20 November 1990 – all digesters then 10 bar� 

Oct 1990 No 5 Simon Carves sulphur burner started� 

Dec1990 Additional pressure tank (No 17) started 

Feb 1991 New unitising line (No 3) started 

Apr 1991 First new settling tank and second absorption tower in 

SO 2 recovery started 

May 1991 Digester fume extraction started 

Jun 1991 Second new settling tank started 

Aug 1991 Two extra absorption towers (Hagglund) installed 

Nov 1991 Additional chip reclaimer started 

Nov 1992 New 10 t/d continuous ClO 2 plant and chlorate facility 

started� Roller mill for limestone started 

145 

Derek Airey 

Maurice Hart 

Hugh Martin


Feb 1993 Blow tank scrubber started 

Mar 1993 New York chilling plant started 

Jun 1993 Two cooking liquor storage tanks commissioned 

Oct 1993 New water softeners started 

Feb 1994 DCS for liquor plant commissioned 

As part of the sales agreement with Courtaulds, pulp quality was to 

be no worse than that achieved in 1986 (1987 was discounted because 

of the pine trial and the flood), although Sappi would on a ‘best 

endeavours’ basis try to improve quality� Pulp quality over the period 

1988–94 was relatively steady and quite similar to 1986, although 

silica increased marginally because of the higher production� Calcium 

improved with the use of soft water from bleaching onwards and 

lower pH’s in the washing plants and spots reduced somewhat – 

operating No 2 second screening at lower consistencies had no effect 

on silicas� 

Silica ppm Calcium ppm Total Ash ppm Resin % Spots/m 2 

1986 71 106 638 0.12 713 

1989 86 74 785 0.12 545 

1990 78 64 712 0.11 510 

1991 71 64 703 0.13 391 

1992 71 112 850 0.12 383 

1993 85 104 932 0.13 290 

1994 105 79 783 0.13 498 

Despite quality being steady, Saiccor was under constant pressure 

from Courtaulds to improve quality� From the end of 1992 Courtaulds 

were told this would happen as a consequence of the major expansion 

that was about to take place� 

In 1990 Saiccor embarked on a programme to achieve the Quality 

Management System ISO 9002 by the end of December 1992� 

Although Bryan Thomas had the overall responsibility for the 

programme, the bulk of the work fell to Analytical Chemist Alison 

Robson� By late 1992 it was realised that the system had grown too 

burdensome, and it would be necessary to start again� Although 

Alison continued to drive the programme, there was then a major 

contribution from line managers� ISO 9002 accreditation was 

obtained in April 1994� 

Safety had tended to play second fiddle to production at Saiccor 

until Brian White was seconded from Courtaulds on 1 May 1987� 

Brian spent his first two years at Saiccor making people aware of 

safety, also undertaking the difficult task of trying to change the Alison Robson 

146


‘mind set’� In this period he introduced the wearing of hearing 

protection and escape respirators� In 1989 Brian started the NOSA 

safety programme and in September 1990 Saiccor received a 3-Star 

NOSA rating� Brian’s contract was completed in 1990 and he returned 

to Courtaulds� 

Bryan Aldgate, from AECI in Umbogintwini, took over as Loss 

Control Manager (fire, safety and security) from Brian White and 

Phil Glannister� Bryan continued with the NOSA programme and in 

1991 Saiccor received a 4-Star rating and in 1992 5-Stars, which was 

maintained until 1999 when the NOSA system was replaced by the 

Common Audit Process programme (CAP)� In June 1992 a million 

hours worked without a disabling injury was achieved for the first 

time� 

Another man who made a significant contribution to the safety 

programme from its very beginning was Cobus (Jacobus) Botha� 

Cobus joined Saiccor’s security department in 1982, and from 1984 

looked after both fire and security, being groomed by Phil Glannister 

when he arrived in 1987� When Brian White left in 1990 Cobus took 

over as Safety Officer� 

The summer rains of 1991/92 were poor� By April 1992 it was 

apparent that the barrage at the intake would not be sufficient to 

carry Saiccor through winter� Campbell Bernstein and Irving (CBI) 

were consulted and their dam builder extraordinaire, Eckhard Muller, 

soon reported that a 1,5 million m 3 barrage could be built just 

downstream of the government’s gauging weir at Goodenough’s 

farm� 

Moses Magubane went out to seek permission to build a dam from 

the local amakosi, who were quite happy� Ted Beesley and I then 

visited Bill Goodenough, the Indian farming community, and finally 

held an ndaba with the local community (most of whom were 

squatters)� This was my introduction to an amazing and very 

different community that lived only some 10 km from Saiccor along 

the Hull Valley road from Roseneath� 

Bill Goodenough was 79 years old at the time (born 25 

September 1913) and totally deaf� In one hand he carried a 

notebook for people to write what they wanted to say, and in the 

other he always carried a gun, as he had once been attacked� Bill’s 

grandfather, an American missionary, had retired to the area to 

farm around 1912, and Bill’s parents had come from the USA in 

1914 when Bill was a year old� In 1955 Bill and his father built an 

hydro-electric generator on the river’s edge from which they ran 

power to the house and powered farm machinery� The 1976 flood 

had filled the sump of the hydraulic drive with mud and it had 

not worked since� 

147 

Brian White 

Bryan Aldgate 

Jacobus (Cobus) Botha


Goodenough agreed to the dam, but asked if we could get his 

generator back in working order as he refused to buy power from 

Eskom� On examination the equipment was so old spares no longer 

existed� Goodenough was disappointed, but declined our offer of a 

new one – all he wanted was to see the equipment he had built with 

his father working again� 

Bill never married, and after his parents died and his brother 

Kenneth moved away, he lived alone to the end of his days in the 

house above the gauging weir (which now bears his name – although 

the original Goodenough weir was at the dam wall where it was 

used to divert water to the water turbine)� He died on 3 July 1996 

aged 82� 

The Indian farming community who had operated on the south 

bank at Fountainhead since the turn of the twentieth century were 

happy enough for a dam to be built, but wanted Saiccor to ensure a 

water supply and to look after their pumps at the dam� One of the 

most hospitable and enterprising of the farmers was Nad Govender, 

who, in addition to farming, operated a mobile ‘supermarket’ in the 

area and also had a vegetable shop in Umkomaas� He soon approached 

me about a job for his son Sugan, a chemical engineer, who at that 

time was working at Sasolburg� Once we received his CV, we offered 

Sugan a position, much to Nad’s delight� Sugan joined Saiccor on 1 

November 1994 and was promoted to Production Manager on 1 

September 1996� Sadly, Nad died suddenly on 24 September 1997 

(his birthday)� 

Sugan Govender (LEFT) and his father, Nad 

The ndaba with the local community took place on a Saturday 

morning at the junction of the roads going to Goodenough’s house 

and Goodenough’s weir� Ted Beesley, Moses Magubane and I were 

148 

Bill Goodenough


present� There were about 10 people at first, but the number slowly 

swelled to around 100, surrounding us, with the ululating women at 

our backs and the men in front, raising one problem after another� 

The leader of the group was old man Mashaba, a squatter, who 

insisted on opening the meeting with a prayer, putting his teeth in 

his coat pocket to do so� This community raised a never-ending series 

of problems: How could they cross the river? Would the dam be 

fenced? As the road would be flooded, how could they travel along 

the south bank? How could they do their washing? What about their 

crops? (There were none at the time!) How could they drink the 

water, as it would be fouled by cattle? The list was endless, and after 

three hours we agreed to supply 

them with drinking water, make 

a path along the south bank, 

double up on the boat crossings 

and keep in touch with them on a 

daily basis to address any problems 

that arose� Eventually we had to 

walk away, as they could have sat 

all day� 

Grinaker started building the 

wall for Goodenough’s Dam on 4 

May 1992 under the supervision of 

Eckhard Muller� A concrete slab 

1 m high was first put across the 

river (at the site of the old 

Goodenough weir), then an earth 

wall with a steel gate was built, 

and finally a plastic sheet was 

placed over the upstream side of 

the wall� Water storage began on 1 

June 1992, with the river flow at 

64 cusecs (the factory requirement 

was 50 cusecs)� 

The dam enabled Saiccor to 

continue operating through the 

winter when the river flow 

dropped below the factory 

requirement� Shortly after the first 

summer rains in September, the 

river flow rose sharply� The water 

overflowed, breaching the dam, 

and the wall soon disappeared into 

the river downstream� 

As the early summer rains of 

1992/93 were again very poor, 

Goodenough’s Dam, built in 1992, enabled Saiccor to continue operating 

through the winter, when the river flow dropped below the factory 

requirement 

The Goodenough Dam after the wall was breached a few months after 

completion, September 1992 

149


Eckhard Muller scouted further 

upstream of Goodenough for 

another suitable dam site� He 

found one at Zamani, some 20 km 

upstream of the factory, but a 

great deal further by road via 

Dududu� 

The factory was shut down on 

the morning of 9 November 1992 

when the river flow dropped to 15 

cusecs, but rain on the day allowed 

the factory to restart the following 

day� The mill ran very precariously 

through December when the river 

reached its lowest ever recorded 

level of 6 cusecs� In December the 

Saiccor Board agreed to spend R3,8 

million building temporary dams 

at Zamani and Goodenough (some 

3,7 million m 3 of storage)� 

Grinaker arrived at Zamani in 

February 1993 with their huge 

scrapers to remove ‘mountains’, 

under the supervision of Eckhard 

Muller and CBI’s site manager 

Tom Roering� Mike Bentley and 

Graham Kelly looked after 

Saiccor’s interest (the scrapers 

were also used for making 

playing fields for local schools)� 

Zamani Dam was completed on 

30 March 1993, with full support 

and co-operation from inkosi Roy 

Bele� 

Zamani Dam 

Zamani Dam, earthworks in progress, 1993 

Zamani Dam on completion, with water flowing over the spillway, 1993 

150


Goodenough’s Dam was rebuilt in May 1993, by which time the 

river flow had decreased to 60 cusecs� 

On Youth Day (16 June), the commemoration of the 1976 Soweto 

riots, a saboteur cut the plastic sheet on the Goodenough Dam wall, 

destroying the dam� Grinakers rebuilt it in 10 days, as the earth was 

just downstream of the wall� 

At the end of June the river flow was 46 cusecs, by the end of July 

39 cusecs, with dam levels falling, and 26 cusecs by the end of August, 

when total storage remaining was 2,0 million m 3 � The storage dropped 

to 1,5 million by the end of September� 

The summer rains arrived in October and breached the walls at 

Goodenough and the water intake� By December the water was 

flowing over the spillway at Zamani (up to 10 000 cusecs), but when 

the river flow reached 20 000 cusecs in February 1994 the wall was 

breached� The Zamani area was restored to its former state and the 

dam was never rebuilt� 

Rebuilding of Goodenoughs started in May 1994, despite the 

numerous demands of the local community� 

One morning in May 1994, Ngcobo, a squatter on the north bank, 

opened fire on Grinaker employees, who fled – abandoning their earthmoving 

equipment in the middle of the river� Ngcobo maintained 

Grinaker had no right to take his soil, but he readily accepted 

R10 000 for a sales deal� When the local induna dutifully came to 

claim his entitled share of the R10 000 and was informed Ngcobo 

had the money, he went in search of Ngcobo, only to discover that 

the payment had been made to the wrong Ngcobo� The situation 

was resolved through tribal justice to the satisfaction of all except 

the imposter! 

Goodenoughs Dam was rebuilt by July 1994� The river flow 

dropped to 30 cusecs by October, remaining at that level through 

November and December� By December the water in the dam was 

exhausted, and it became necessary to release water from Sappi 

Forests’ dam at Comrie to keep Saiccor operating� Nic Mostert, 

General Manager of Sappi Forests, was very happy, as he wanted to 

remove all the bass in Comrie to be able to restock with trout� Good 

rains in January brought the river flow to 16 000 cusecs, which again 

breached the wall at Goodenoughs� 

Goodenough’s Dam was again rebuilt in May 1995, by which time 

negotiations with the demanding locals had become a nightmare for 

Graham Kelly, who headed Saiccor’s team� Water from the dam was 

used from October when the river flow reached 30 cusecs, but after 

good summer rains in December the wall was breached� 

It has not been necessary to rebuild Goodenoughs since 1995� 

However, between 1992 and 1995 it seemed that Saiccor needed a 

permanent dam� CBI made a proposal for a 5 million m 3 dam at Nic Mostert 

151


Goodenoughs for about R20 million in 1994� In 1995 Brown & Root 

made a proposal for a 10 million m 3 off-river facility at Ngwadini for 

R83 million� Umgeni Water then wanted to form a joint venture with 

Saiccor – the size of the dam increased to 12 million m 3 and the cost 

to R100 million� While the debate on the need for a dam went back 

and forth, the weather pattern was changing; the seasons were 

becoming wetter and the plans for a dam were put on the back burner� 

By October 1988 the dust of the Sappi purchase of Saiccor had settled, 

making it propitious, I thought, to revitalise the other half of the 

1982 magnesium plant proposal; the addition of a bleach plant and a 

pulp machine� Roland Mazery was supportive� 

As Courtaulds had sold Saiccor, their commitment to the dissolving 

pulp business was then questionable, which made Saiccor vulnerable 

as Courtaulds was the only customer who could use ‘flock’ pulp� 

Therefore it seemed prudent to make the new pulp machine large 

enough to be able to close down the flock plant� I redid the 1982 

design, this time for a 700 t/d pulp machine (rather than 500 t/d) 

and bleach plant� The calcium pulping plant would be taken to 1 000 

t/d and the magnesium plant at 500 t/d for a total of 1 500 t/d (an 

increase of 300 t/d or 25 per cent)� 

Design Draughtsman Errol d’Oliveira produced new layout 

drawings, Ciano Ioppo established capital costs, Trevor Larkan 

performed the financial analysis and Ted Beesley wrote an 

environmental justification� The proposal was submitted to the first 

Sappi Saiccor Board meeting on 27 June 1989� 

The proposal opened with the following statement: 

An exciting opportunity exists to increase Saiccor’s output and profit 

while at the same time putting the company in a far sounder strategic 

position to meet the future with a more acceptable and better quality 

product� In addition there would be significant improvements in 

operating efficiencies and productivity� 

The cost of the proposal was R263 million (base date February 1989, 

$1 = R2,46)� 

Eugene van As queried whether there was sufficient timber 

available for the expansion� As he did not receive a satisfactory 

response, he arranged for Sappi Forests to conduct a survey, which 

indicated sufficient timber would be available from 1992� He then 

asked whether a consultant had vetted the proposal� As this had never 

crossed my mind, he informed me that no proposal of this magnitude 

would ever be approved without being vetted by a consultant� 

Thys de Waard, Sappi’s Engineering Director, arranged for Swedish 

consultants Celpap to come to Saiccor to go through the proposal� 

Thys also sent his Chief Engineer, Colin Kerr, to Saiccor to direct 

Celpap� Colin was very experienced, having worked in all Sappi mills, 

152 

Errol d’Oliveira 

Colin Kerr


the last as General Manager of Enstra, before he was transferred to 

Head Office� 

Tjaart van der Walt, an experienced operations man in Sappi, 

assisted Colin, while Wayne Weston was transferred to the team to 

ensure Saiccor’s requirements were retained� 

Although the relationship between Colin Kerr and Celpap became 

strained, Celpap did produce a report supporting our proposal� Then 

Eugene van As asked why we had not considered expanding the 

capacity of the magnesium plant� Canadian consultants NLK were 

engaged, who a short while later merged with Celpap to form NLK- 

Celpap, an unhappy union that soon ended in separation, leaving 

both partners close to collapse� NLK started to look at the magnesium 

expansion but were diverted to looking at thermo-mechanical pulping 

for Saiccor� NLK had not produced a final report before the company 

started running out of capacity and had to abandon the project� 

Canadian consultants HA Simons were then engaged, with Keith 

Richardson and Kevin Cox leading their teams� 

By this time (mid-1991) the expansion proposal had changed to 1 

600 t/d for the total mill, with the new machine and bleach plant at 

800 t/d� This was based on a suggestion from André Vlok that the 

machine be made 800 t/d, which he said would cost very little more 

than a 700t/d machine� André, who was then in his mid-50s, was 

technically the most knowledgeable man at Sappi, where he had been 

in various senior positions for 27 years� Until his retirement at the 

end of 1998 he was a great supporter of Saiccor, having joined the 

Board in June 1991� 

Discussions with Gotaverken (the boiler supplier), confirmed that 

the recovery boiler could only be expanded by 30 per cent, equivalent 

to 150 t/d of magnesium pulp� Thus, the final proposal became a 

mill expansion of 400 t/d (150 t/d magnesium and 250 t/d calcium 

pulp to a nominal 1 600 t/d)� This included a new 800 t/d bleach 

plant and pulp machine, the introduction of oxygen bleaching for all 

three bleach plants; for the magnesium plant an additional washer, 

evaporator and bigger pumps, motors and pipes, while the flock plant 

was to be shut down� After much discussion and debate Simons 

produced the final feasibility study on 3 June 1992, for R953 million 

(R2,76 = $1)� The proposal had four main goals: to increase output, 

to improve quality, to reduce Saiccor’s environmental impact and to 

broaden the product range� 

The proposal was approved in late November 1992� Thys de Waard 

and I were charged with setting up the project, which Thys named 

the ‘Mkomazi Project’ after the river� Thys, a mechanical engineer in 

his early 50s, had many years experience in the industry, having 

worked for Premier Paper (with Bill Hastie, Saiccor’s first Works 

Manager, and Ugo Testa), before joining Sappi� He was technically 

very sound, a tough negotiator, and would not tolerate fools� 

153 

André Vlok 

Thys de Waard 

Andrea Rossi


Tragically, he died on 9 September 1997� 

Thys and I went to Vancouver in February 1993 to finalise technical 

details for the equipment with potential suppliers and Simons, who 

by this stage had formed a joint venture with Swedish consultants 

AF-IPK� Tender documents were also prepared� 

Simons-AF-IPK were selected as Project Managers and had an 

owners’ team working with them� The owners’ team was headed by 

Andrea Rossi, a 39-year-old electrical engineer from Thys de Waard’s 

department, who had been deeply involved with projects� Andrea 

was a sound engineer and a capable manager� 

Eddie Watson was the owners’ team Project Manager for the bleach 

plant� Eddie first came to Saiccor in the early 1980s during his 

vacations from the University of Natal� He joined Saiccor on 1 

February 1990 after completing his military service and Chemical 

Engineering degrees (including a thesis on viscosity control from 

Saiccor digesters)� He was promoted to Plant Manager of the 

Mkomazi plant on 1 July 1993, and Projects Manager of Saiccor on 1 

July 1996� Unfortunately Eddie left Saiccor at the end of December 

1997 to start his own business� He was a very capable engineer and 

manager� 

George Marshall was the owners’ team Project Manager for the 

pulp machine� George was born in Benoni on 25 January 1962 but 

grew up in Port Elizabeth� After graduating as a chemical engineer 

from Stellenbosch, he worked on the mines before joining Saiccor on 

2 January 1990� George was promoted to Production Manager of the 

pulp machines on 1 November 1990 and Senior Production Manager 

on 1 March 1994� He was appointed Plant Manager of Pulp Finishing 

on 1 July 1996 and General Manager of LignoTech South Africa on 1 

September 2000� He is both technically very competent and a good 

manager� 

Also part of the owners’ team were Mike Howlett, Garth James, 

Silvio Ceriani and Andrew Hall (a young chemical engineer), and 

from Head Office on a part time basis Dick Sorenson, Tjaart van der 

Walt and Eric Rainey� 

At the beginning of 1993 an experienced Project Manager from 

consultants Ekona was appointed overall Project Director� However 

he proved unsuitable and by May 1993, Brian Beard was appointed 

Project Director� Thys de Waard and I had met Brian, a Vice President 

of Simons, in Vancouver, where he had made a favourable impression� 

He was seconded to Saiccor for the project� Despite being very much 

an ‘eight to five’ man, Brian did all that was required to hold the 

project together� A flying enthusiast, he managed in his spare time 

from the project to have an out of commission Harvard refurbished, 

taking it back to Canada as a new plane� 

The Simons’ project team of some 40 people arrived in the second 

quarter of 1993� The team was supplemented by local technicians 

154 

Eddie Watson 

George Marshall 

Brian Beard


and administrators, which together with the owners’ team made up 

a total project team of some 70 people� This was a huge number in 

comparison to Saiccor’s previous projects, particularly in relation to 

the 1983 magnesium plant, which was a similar size project as well 

as being far more complex from a process point of view� The direct 

cost for Simons ended up at R55 million� 

Kevin Cox, a civil engineer from New Zealand, was the Simons’ 

Project Manager, and Laird Paton, an experienced Canadian site man, 

was Construction Manager� Bill Weggelaar, a South African, was hired 

as Financial and Administration Manager� 

The project was directed by a steering committee, which met 

monthly� The committee comprised Ian Heron, Roland Mazery, Thys 

de Waard, Sinclair Stone, Mike Turner, André Vlok (occasional), Brian 

Beard and Bill Weggelaar� In addition there was a management 

committee that met weekly, comprising Brian Beard, Kevin Cox, 

Sinclair Stone, Andrea Rossi, Bill Weggelaar and occasionally Thys de 

Waard� 

Scrapers from Grinakers preparing the construction site for the Mkomazi project, 

The construction site of the Mkomazi project, (left) looking east and (right) looking west, 1993 

155


The earthworks contract was awarded to 

Grinakers, who in April 1993 brought their scrapers 

from Zamani Dam to remove the hillside opposite 

the woodyard and prepare the site for the Mkomazi 

project, which they had completed by August 1993� 

Contracts for plant and equipment were awarded 

from May 1993 – pulp machine to Valmet, bleach 

plant and evaporator to Ahlstrom, digesters to ND 

Engineering, washer for magnesium plant and No 

5 chipping line to Sunds, process control system to 

ABB, electrics to Siemens and civils to LTA� Valmet 

and Ahlstrom subcontracted their construction 

work to ND Engineering while UIC undertook the 

instrumentation installation� 

Civil work started in October 1993 and was 55 

per cent complete by the time equipment started 

to arrive in February 1994� By April civil work was 

80 per cent complete and construction was in full 

swing – No 22 digester was cold-stretched� By July 

the civil work was complete while the overall 

project was 60 per cent complete� By September 

the overall project was 78 per cent complete – the 

evaporator and No 21 digester were in operation� 

At the end of October 1994, the project was 90 

per cent complete� Water runs started on the pulp 

machine (No 4 continua), while all three new 

digesters were in operation� No 4 continua had pulp 

on the wire on 21 November 1994 and the first bale 

was produced on 27 November� No 4 washer 

(magnesium plant) was commissioned on 14 

December, No 5 chipping line on 24 December and 

No 3 bleaching on 10 January 1995� 

As the Mkomazi plant was then in operation, 

the last ton of flock pulp was made on 17 January 

The Mkomazi plant in operation, (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM) January 1995, July 1994, October 1994, December 1994 

156


PM4 drying machine 

1995, ending a 37-year-old enterprise that never quite achieved the 

success its originators envisaged� 

The Mkomazi project was completed on time and within budget 

– the final cost of R856 million was some R100 million below budget, 

largely as a result of lower than anticipated prices for the main 

equipment (here credit is due to the commercial team of Ian Heron, 

Roland Mazery, Mike Turner and Roy Sukaram)� 

Although No 4 continua started up well, sheet breaks began 

occurring after two months and increased significantly over the next 

two months� By June 1995, the problems had been identified as resin 

on the wire, causing it to vibrate, and inadequate mixing of pulp and 

The magnesium and Mkomazi plants dominate the Saiccor skyline 

157


water in the fan pump-mixing tank, leading to folding of the sheet 

out of the dryer� The first problem was solved in the short term by 

washing the wire regularly with paraffin and in the long term by 

changing the type of vacuum boxes and the material of their covers� 

Increasing the pulp velocity into the mixing tank solved the mixing 

problem� By July 1995 the production from No 4 continua started 

increasing, reaching design levels by August� No 3 bleaching 

experienced few start up problems� The mill averaged over 1 600 t/d 

for a month for the first time in November 1995� 

Towards the end of 1994 it was agreed to add two complimentary 

projects to Mkomazi� First, to replace the old open effluent channel 

from the factory to the pumphouse (3,5 km) with a pipeline (new 

pumps to be located within the factory) at a cost of R45 million, and, 

second, to automate the digester operations at a cost of R30 million� 

Stainless steel for the 900 mm diameter effluent pipe was made by 

Columbus, the pipeline was manufactured by Hall Longmore and 

the installation was carried out by Rotek (albeit very slowly)� Mike 

Bentley and Kevin Cox managed the project with CBI as consultants� 

The new effluent pumps and pipeline were in operation from 12 


For the digester automation all valves had to be automated� At the 

same time Andy Stretton drew up 

a functional specification detailing 

every phase of the digester 

operation which Don Wheeler and 

ABB (largely Paul Turco, son of 

Ennio and Sheryl) translated into 

ABB software for the new ABB 

control system� Richard Johnson 

of ABB transferred the old Accuray 

control system into the new ABB 

system� The first digester was 

automated in January 1996, the 

others slowly followed, and the 

last (No 15) was completed on 11 

October 1996� 

Dissolving pulp prices started 

rising at an unprecedented rate in 

the second half of 1994 from a low 

of $490 per ton to record heights 

of $1 100 per ton in the last quarter 

of 1995� The commissioning of the 

Mkomazi plant was perfectly 

timed (‘happenstance’) to take Mike Bentley (LEFT) and Kevin Cox 

158


advantage of the rising prices� As Saiccor’s production increased to 1 

600 t/d in the last quarter of 1995, profits soared (average production 

for 1995 was 1 400 t/d)� 

However, in December 1995 the market turned down as sharply as it 

had turned up in the second half of 1994� Dissolving pulp prices 

plummeted as demand for pulp fell steeply� From 18 December 1995 

Saiccor’s production was reduced to 1 000 t/d because of market 

conditions (Nos 1 and 2 continua machines were shut down)� As a slowdown 

had never occurred in Saiccor’s 41-year history, it had a debilitating 

effect on people and plant� No 2 continua was restarted in May 1996 

and No 1 in July 1996� Average production for 1996 was 1 173 t/d� 

With the advent of the Mkomazi plant, some aspects of pulp 

quality improved significantly, namely spots and resin, largely as a 

result of replacing chlorine in the bleaching plant with oxygen and 

chlorine dioxide� Disappointingly, calcium levels did not drop as 

expected and by 1996 it was decided to reduce pH’s in first screening 

and the first chlorine dioxide stage of bleaching� In mid-1996 schemes 

were being drawn up to improve silica and ash – a capital application 

for three projects was submitted in October 1996 to install a clarifier 

in the woodyard (to be able to use more water for washing logs), a 

filter for calcium cooking liquor, and a demin plant for bleach plant 

wash water, at a total cost of R27 million� 

Year Silica ppm Calcium ppm Ash ppm Resin % Spots /m 2 

1994 105 115 783 0.13 498 

1995 105 126 884 0.10 180 

1996 105 50 732 0.07 34 

In 1995, Saiccor produced commercial quantities of viscose quality 

rolls and 94 alpha bales and rolls for the first time (from the Mkomazi 

plant)� 

Although the Mkomazi plant made Saiccor’s operation more 

environmentally friendly (by replacing chlorine with oxygen and 

chlorine dioxide), there was growing pressure from the local 

communities for Saiccor to reduce atmospheric emissions� A number 

of projects were initiated to do this: 

The effluent pipe to replace the open channel 

A sixth venturi in the magnesium plant 

A liquor storage tank in SO 2 Recovery 

A scrubber for No 1 and No 2 bleaching 

A low concentration gas collection system 

These projects were all commissioned by February 1997 and sulphur 

dioxide emissions were down to 20 per cent of what they were in 1986� 

159


Shortly after the start-up of the Mkomazi plant, complaints were 

received from sea users about increased visibility of Saiccor effluent 

in the ocean� The complaints intensified over the next few months, 

fuelled by Glen Jansen, a part-time fisherman who felt passionately 

about the sea and was vociferous about Saiccor effluent polluting 

the ocean� He produced bumper stickers at his own expense, castigated 

the Department of Water Affairs for allowing Saiccor to continue 

operating and garnered support to help sway public opinion� He was 

rational but passionate, and despite numerous discussions with senior 

Saiccor personnel, persisted with his campaign� 

As a result of the growing public outcry over effluent, the then 

Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Prof� Kader Asmal, and his 

Chief Director: Scientific Mr van der Merwe, visited Saiccor on 10 

October 1995� The Minister wanted a written undertaking from the 

Chairman (Ian Heron), that Saiccor would either convert from 

calcium to magnesium pulping by June 1999, or extend the effluent 

pipeline to 7 km� 

It was soon established that the cost of converting from calcium 

to magnesium was prohibitive, with very little economic benefit� 

Alternative solutions were then examined, including removal of 

lignosulphonates, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, chemical treatment 

and extending the effluent pipeline� 

On 10 May 1996 Prof� Asmal established the South Coast Marine 

Pipeline Forum (SCMPF), the aim of which was to improve the quality 

of sea water along the South Coast through acceptable solutions 

gained through negotiations between all the stakeholders� The 

Charter for SCMPF was signed by the Minister, Sappi Saiccor, AECI, 

Tioxide, the community and the media� It demanded all stakeholders 

to be open and honest� In addition industry would aim to 

continuously improve their effluent quality, the Department of Water 

Affairs would facilitate SCMPF and continue to equitably manage 

water quality issues, and the media would report fairly and accurately� 

At the signing ceremony, the Minister stressed that while 

environmental issues were important, it should be kept in mind that 

there was a high level of unemployment in South Africa, and that a 

good balance between environmental issues and economic growth 

needed to be maintained� The Minister also made it known that he 

had given Sappi Saiccor more time to conduct studies into alternative 

effluent disposal methods� The Minister then instructed each industry 

to form a Permit Advisory Panel (PAP), made up of members from 

the industry and from all interested and affected parties, to advise 

his Department on permit conditions� The first Saiccor PAP meeting 

took place in April 1997� 

During the first two years, SCMPF meetings were preoccupied with 

severe criticism of Saiccor’s effluent disposal� 

160 

Glen Jansen launched a 

vigorous campaign 

against Saiccor effluent 

from 1995 to 1999 

Visit of the Premier of KwaZulu 

Natal, Dr Frank Mdlalose, to 

Saiccor in June 1996� LEFT TO 

RIGHT: Eric Ngubane, private 

secretary to the Premier, Divas 

Mncwabe, Jerome Mshengu, 

Mayor of Southern Sub-Structure, 

Sinclair Stone and Dr Frank 

Mdlalose�


In July 1996 Roland Mazery proposed to the Department of Water 

Affairs and Forestry in Durban that Saiccor would solve the effluent 

problem by building a 55 000 t/a lignosulphonate plant� The capacity 

of the plant would be expanded by 55 000 t/a approximately every 

three years up to 350 000 t/a after 10 to12 years� The Department 

found the timing of the proposal unacceptable – ‘too little too late’� 

Complaints about effluent in the ocean from the public and the press 

continued to rage for the next six months� 

In June 1996, Divas Mncwabe, a Saiccor electrician and part-time 

IFP politician, arranged for the Premier of KwaZulu Natal, Dr Frank 

Mdlalose, to visit Saiccor� After his visit the Premier said that Sappi 

Saiccor gave South Africa a high ranking in the world achievement 

stakes� He said it was a big plus that South Africa, and KwaZulu 

Natal in particular, had an industry leader of such magnitude� Dr 

Mdlalose lauded the company’s fulltime employment of 1 250 people, 

as each employed person supported nine others� 

Ian Heron resigned from Sappi at the end of 1995 and was replaced 

by Ian Forbes, who had been Managing Director of Sappi Kraft� 

Andy Porter retired at the end of March 1996, and was replaced as 

Human Resources Manager by Alistair McGregor who had joined 

Saiccor on 1 April 1989 as Personnel Officer� 

Chris Williamson relinquished his responsibilities as Engineering 

Manager to look after special projects at the end of June 1996� Gary 

Bowles became Engineering Manager� 

Gary Bowles was born on 26 January 1960 in Harding� After 

graduating as an electrical engineer from the University of Natal, he 

worked at the sugar mill at Darnall before joining Saiccor on 1 

November 1990 as Electrical Engineer� He moved to production on 1 

December 1993 as Plant Manager for Pulp Finishing, and on 1 July 

1996 was appointed Engineering Manager� Gary is a sound electrical 

engineer, with management skills and an ability to achieve results� 

He is also a keen and strong sportsman� 

In view of the intense pressure from the public and the authorities 

on environmental issues, Mike Bentley was appointed Environmental 

Manager on 1 July 1996� Born in Cape Town on 15 May 1945, Mike 

grew up in Tongaat� He joined Sappi Tugela as an Instrument 

Technician in 1972� Tugela allowed him to attend the University of 

Natal between 1974 and 1978, where he obtained his degree in 

Electrical Engineering� Mike joined Saiccor on 1 January 1980 as 

Divisional Engineer of Bleaching� In 1982 he took charge of the project 

to computerise the planned maintenance programme of the factory� 

In January 1983 he was appointed Assistant Technical Manager (Plant 

Manager) of Pulp Preparation, and on 1 April 1987 for Pulp Finishing� 

He was appointed Projects Manager on 1 September 1992� Mike is a 

sound and competent engineer with a very analytical approach, which 

161 

Alistair McGregor 

Gary Bowles 

Mike Bentley


on occasions has led to him being considered ‘laid back’� He is a 

wildlife enthusiast in his spare time� 

Eddie Watson replaced Mike Bentley as Projects Manager on 1 July 

1996� Peter Morris was transferred to Plant Manager of the magnesium 

and Mkomazi plants on 1 July 1996� At the same time, George 

Marshall and Andy Stretton were appointed Plant Managers of Pulp 

Finishing and Pulp Preparation respectively� Tony Neave, John Herd 

and Gary Coutts were appointed Senior Production Managers on 1 

January 1998� 

When the Mkomazi plant was started (January 1995), Garth James 

was transferred as Assistant Engineering Manager to the magnesium 

and Mkomazi plants� Henry Zan replaced Garth in Pulp Preparation� 

Owen Spence resigned in February 1995, as did Divisional Engineer 

Mike Cathro, in May 1995� Silvio Ceriani was appointed Assistant 

Engineering Manager on 1 September 1995� Silvio joined Saiccor on 

13 February 1985 as a trainee Mechanical Technician while he 

completed his National diploma, which he did at the end of 1986� 

He was appointed Assistant Divisional Engineer in March 1989 and 

Divisional Engineer of Nos 1 2 and 3 continuas in November 1990� 

He resigned at the end of 1997 at the age of 35 to seek his fortune 

elsewhere� 

Graham Kelly was Assistant Engineering Manager for Services and 

Instruments� 

Garth James resigned at the end of June 1996 and was replaced by 

Greg Taylor� Greg, a mechanical engineer from the University of Natal, 

was born in Durban on 4 September 1963� He joined Saiccor from 

Usko (where he had been Maintenance Manager at Vereeniging), on 

1 November 1995 as an Assistant Engineering Manager� He was 

appointed Services Manager on 1 August 2000� 

As regards labour relations during the Mazery period, by 1990 Sam 

Kikene’s Dissolving Pulp and Allied Workers Union (DPAWU) had 

started to feel the pressure of the ANC/IFP political tension that had 

developed in Southern Natal� In October 1990 Douglas Makhaye, 

the Chairman of the Saiccor DPAWU’s shop stewards’ committee, 

was murdered on his way home from work� The DPAWU was 

shattered and weakened� By 1991 rival union PPWAWU (Pulp Paper 

Wood and Allied Workers Union), a COSATU affiliate, had become 

the majority union at Saiccor� 

PPWAWU were a more professional and better trained organisation 

than the DPAWU� Negotiations with PPWAWU were far more 

aggressive� PPWAWU soon demonstrated their strength by conducting 

stayaways, sit-ins, ‘toi-toying’ and the first aggressive illegal strike 

between 3 and 7 June 1994 over the demand for a R3,50 shift 

allowance� There was a 12-hour strike on 3 June 1996, for the removal 

162 

Silvio Ceriani 

Greg Taylor


of Max de Robillard, manager of the mechanical workshop, forcing 

Saiccor to shutdown� The wage negotiations in 1996 broke down in 

September� The wage earners went on a legal strike on 5 September 

1996, leaving only the magnesium plant, No 3 bleaching and No 4 

continua being operated by non strikers� The wage earners returned 

to work on 25 September for the same conditions that had been 

offered before the strike commenced and Saiccor reduced its high 

level of finished stock� 

Roland Mazery announced his retirement quite unexpectedly in May 

1996� He left Saiccor at the end of September 1996 and was replaced 

by Alan Tubb� 

163

The Tubb Period (1996 –) 

The Tubb Period 

(1996 –) 

Alan David Tubb was born in 

Durban on 26 December 1950� He 

matriculated at Glenwood High 

School, and obtained an Electrical 

Engineering degree from the 

University of Natal� Alan worked on 

the Western Deep gold mine before 

joining Sappi Tugela in 1980, where 

he became Engineering Manager� 

He transferred to Sappi Ngodwana 

in 1987 as Mill Manager, becoming 

General Manager in 1989� He was 

appointed Managing Director of 

Saiccor from 1 October 1996� He is 

a pragmatic manager with a good 

understanding of human nature� He 

is also a fervent rugby supporter 

(Sharks) and a very keen surf angler� 

Alan David Tubb, Managing Director 1996- 

165


At the time of Tubb’s appointment, the Board comprised 

ID Forbes (Chairman), AD Tubb (Managing Director), MP 

de Waard, M Malpiedi (Italy), SL Stone and MW Turner� 

The following changes occurred over the period: 

C Mowatt appointed, November 1996 

M P de Waard died, September 1997 

D A Weightman appointed November 1997 

A J W van der Merwe appointed, July 1998 

I D Forbes resigned, September 1999 

J L Job appointed Chairman, October 1999 


Alan Tubb (Managing Director) 

Sinclair Stone (Works Director) 

Colin Mowatt (Financial Director) 

Derek Weightman (Technical Manager) 

Gary Bowles (Engineering Manager) 

Alistair McGregor (Human Resources Manager) 

Graham Coxell (Company Secretary) 

Colin Mowatt joined Saiccor on 1 November 1996 as Financial 

Director� Colin was born and bred in Edenvale, matriculating from 

St Benedicts College in Bedfordview� He has an accounting degree 

and is a qualified chartered accountant� Colin joined Sappi in 

Johannesburg in June 1993 as the Group Financial Controller� A sharp 

accountant with an understanding of how a business works, Colin 

has a fine sense of humour and fun and is an ardent supporter of 

Chelsea Football Club� 

The following changes have occurred to the Management 

Committee during Alan Tubb’s tenure: 

Gunther Garz was appointed Marketing Manager on 12 February 

1998� Gunther joined Saiccor in 1984, spent the next three years 

studying for his Chemical Engineering diploma and in April 1987 

was transferred to the technical department� In September 1993 

Gunther transferred to Hong Kong, where for the next four and a 

half years he was part of Hugh Martin’s sales team� He transferred 

to Zurich at the end of 2000� 

Alistair McGregor transferred to Usutu as Human Resources 

Manager at the end of January 1999 and was replaced by Ryan 

Kerr on 1 February 1999� Ryan was previously Human Resources 

Manager at Sappi Cape Kraft� 

Plant Managers were Peter Morris, George Marshall and Andy 

Stretton� 

166 

Ian Forbes, Chairman, 

1996–1999 

John Job, Chairman 1999- 

Colin Mowatt


Senior Production Managers were Tony Neave, Gary Coutts and John 

Herd� 

Assistant Engineering Managers were Graham Kelly, Greg Taylor, 

Silvio Ceriani and Henry Zan� Lionel Davies was Services Manager, 

Stuart Watson Electrical Engineer, Ken Toward Instruments Engineer 

(appointed 1 March 1996 after joining as a Technician in May 1990), 

Max de Robillard was Workshop Manager and Luigi Mazzaro Building 

Manager� 

When Silvio Ceriani resigned at the end of 1997 he was replaced 

by Bernard Jorgensen-Lian� Bernard was born in Cape Town on 3 

April 1958 and joined Saiccor on 1 January 1984 as a trainee 

Mechanical Technician, having completed the academic requirement 

for his T4� He was appointed Mechanical Technician on 1 August 

1985, Divisional Engineer Pulp Preparation on 1 November 1990, and 

Divisional Engineer Mkomazi on 1 September 1995� 

Eddie Watson was Projects Manager but resigned at the end of 

1997 and was replaced by Tony Butler from 1 January 1998� Tony 

was born in Albany in the Eastern Cape on 22 November 1946 (a 

nephew of the South African writer Guy Butler)� He completed his 

Chemical Engineering degree at the University of Cape Town and 

joined Saiccor’s process investigation department in June 1971� He 

left Saiccor in March 1976 to work in the pharmaceutical industry in 

England for six years� He sailed himself back to South Africa in a 

yacht, rejoining Saiccor on 6 September 1982� He was appointed 

Assistant Projects Manager on 1 October 1983� 

Piero Simonetti was Chief Draughtsman and Errol D’Oliveira the 

Senior Draughtsman� 

Maurice Hart was Commercial Manager, Harry Byrne IT Manager, 

Darrell Webb Purchasing Manager, Jacqui Bertossi Personnel Manager 

and Kevin Rainier Medical Officer� 

The year 1997 was a splendid year of healthy profits and production 

records – 559 337 tons for the year, 2 072 tons in a day, 1 700 tons/ 

day in a month, No 4 continua 1 028 tons in a day, No 3 continua 

706 tons in a day, 62 cooks in a day and 767 tons magnesium pulp 

in a day� By the end of the year however, the dissolving pulp market 

had softened, prices started falling, finished pulp stocks rose and by 

January 1998 it became necessary to reduce production to 1 300 

tons/day by shutting down No 1 and No 2 continuas and No 1 

bleaching� 

Production was restricted to 1 300 t/d through 1998 and 1999, 

but early in 2000 the dissolving pulp market firmed� By March 2000 

it was decided to restart No 2 continua and No 1 bleaching� As 

these plants had been idle for just over two years, it was estimated 

that it would take six weeks to get them back into production, and 

another six weeks to reach full production� However, thanks to 

167 

Gunther Garz 

Ryan Kerr 

Bernard Jorgensen-Lian 

Tony Butler


outstanding work by the engineering, production and personnel 

departments, full production was achieved after only half the 

estimated period, in May 2000� By this time production was back to 

the ‘nameplate’ capacity of 1 600 t/d, with an average of 1 509 t/d 

for the year, making the year 2000 one of the best, in all respects, in 

Saiccor’s history� The Chairman, Dr John Job, described Saiccor’s 

overall performance as ‘exemplary’� Alas, by 2001 the dissolving pulp 

market had again weakened and by the end of February 2001 

production was reduced to 1 300 t/d by again shutting down No 2 

continua and No 1 bleaching� Further weakening of the market forced 

production down to 950 t/d from July 2001, with an average of 1 092 

t/d for the year� 

Year Production (t/d) 

1996 1173 

1997 1537 

1998 1299 

1999 1301 

2000 1509 

2001 1092 

Apart from the fluctuations in production over the last six years as a 

result of market variability, Saiccor’s production has grown steadily 

throughout its history� 

Saiccor production levels 1956-2000 

168


When the dissolving pulp market firmed in early 2000, it seemed 

opportune to look at expansion plans for Saiccor� 

Saiccor’s senior management prepared detailed feasibility studies 

for a 160 t/d expansion through either an increase in calcium/ 

magnesium pulping (R640 million, R7,5 = U$1,00), or an increase in 

magnesium pulping only (R1 240 million, R7,5 = U$1,00)� However 

the dissolving pulp market softened before these proposals could be 

submitted to the Board� The proposals now sit on the ‘shelf’ waiting 

for a favourable market� 

The capital application for R27 million to improve pulp quality 

(to reduce silica and ash) was submitted in October 1996 and was 

approved in March 1997� Three projects were involved: 

Clarifier in the woodyard – to be able to increase the amount of 

water used for washing logs by using cleaned recycle water, and 

thereby not increasing the usage of fresh water� 

A filter for calcium cooking liquor – to remove the silica impurity 

in limestone� 

A demin plant – to enable pure water to be used in the process 

from bleaching onwards� 

The clarifier was commissioned on 17 October 1997, the demin plant 

on 12 January 1998 and the liquor filter on 9 March 1998� These 

projects immediately lowered silica and ash; however, as they were 

all commissioned within six months of each other, it has never been 

possible to determine the benefit of each individual project� From 

1998, pulp quality parameters remained excellent� 

Year Silica ppm Calcium ppm Ash ppm Resin % Spots/per m 2 

1996 105 50 732 0.07 34 

1997 86 44 666 0.08 20 

1998 49 33 469 0.07 23 

1999 48 32 446 0.07 22 

2000 44 30 359 0.07 31 

2001 37 22 292 0.07 25 

By 1998 Saiccor’s pulp quality was as good as any in the world, and 

in fact had become the ‘benchmark’ pulp for many dissolving pulp 

customers� The improvement in the quality is very noticeable when 

comparing the parameters in 1976 and 2001� 

Year Silica ppm Calcium ppm Ash ppm Resin % Spots/per m 2 

1976 60 647 1 470 0.29 1646 

2001 37 22 292 0.07 25 

169


In addition to the improvements to fundamental pulp quality over 

the period 1998 to 2001, significant progress was also made in the 

manufacture of speciality pulps, namely 94 alpha, and by 2001, 96 

alpha pulps largely in reels for lyocell and acetate� Progress was a 

result of considerable research work to adapt Saiccor pulp to new 

processes (notably Ian Graveson’s research for lyocell, and Mohamed 

Mansoor’s for acetate), and improving the runnability of No 4 

continua to handle these soft and difficult pulps (Peter Morris and 

his teams at the Mkomazi plant made vital improvements to both 

the bleach plant and the pulp machine)� 

Although Saiccor was operating very well through 1996 to 1997, 

the public spotlight was on effluent discharge� By September 1996 

internal studies into alternative solutions to reduce effluent 

visibility concluded there were only two viable options: an 

extension of the effluent pipeline, and a lignosulphonate plant� 

Marketing information indicated a 55 000 t/a lignosulphonate 

would be feasible� Eugene van As made a presentation to Minister 

Kader Asmal on 19 November 1996 in Cape Town, proposing 

Saiccor conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for 

an extension of the effluent pipeline from 3 to 7,5 km, and the 

building of a 55 000 t/a lignosulphonate plant (approximately 10 

per cent of the solids in the effluent)� The Minister accepted the 

proposal but wanted an answer from Saiccor by the end of 

June 1997� 

Area map showing proposed extension of the effluent pipeline (red) 

170


Crowther Campbell and Associates were appointed in December 

1996 to conduct the EIA� Six public scoping workshops were held 

between March and April 1997, which focused on identifying 

environmental and social impacts of extending the pipeline� 

Dr Martin Grundlingh of the CSIR in Stellenbosch was engaged 

to measure ocean currents for February to April 1997, and later for 

two months in winter� Stephen Luger of the CSIR was commissioned 

to use the ocean current data in a numerical model (Trisula model) to 

predict the dispersion of effluent into the ocean for varying lengths 

of pipeline� 

Amanzimtoti 

Warner Beach 

Umgababa 

Umkomaas 

Aliwal Shoal 

Scottburgh 

Park Rynie 

Amanzimtoti 

Warner Beach 

Umgababa 

Umkomaas 

Aliwal Shoal 

Scottburgh 

Park Rynie 

Amanzimtoti 

Warner Beach 

Umgababa 

Umkomaas 

Aliwal Shoal 

Scottburgh 

Park Rynie 

Surface 

Mid-depth 

Seabed 

SAPPI SAICCOR 

3,0 KM PIPELINE 

07/02/1997 18:00 

171 

Cross-section 

Amanzimtoti 

Warner Beach 

Umgababa 

Umkomaas 

Aliwal Shoal 

Scottburgh 

Park Rynie 

Amanzimtoti 

Warner Beach 

Umgababa 

Umkomaas 

Aliwal Shoal 

Scottburgh 

Park Rynie 

Amanzimtoti 

Warner Beach 

Umgababa 

Umkomaas 

Aliwal Shoal 

Scottburgh 

Park Rynie 

Lignin (mg/l) 

above 

10�0 

7�0 

6�0 

2�0 

1�0 

0�7 

0�5 

0�2 

below 

Surface 

Mid-depth 

Seabed 

0m 

40m 

80m 

CSIR 

1997 

Models showing effluent visibility with the 3 km and 6,5 km pipelines respectively 

SAPPI SAICCOR 

6,5 KM PIPELINE 

07/02/1997 18:00 

Cross-section 

Lignin (mg/l) 

above 

10�0 

7�0 

6�0 

2�0 

1�0 

0�7 

0�5 

0�2 

below 

0m 

40m 

80m 

CSIR 

1997


A number of other studies were also conducted on toxicity, health 

and legality� The study by the CSIR’s respected marine biologist Dr 

Allan Connell concluded that ‘extensive research over the last 27 years 

has shown no demonstrable adverse impact of Saiccor effluent on 

the marine biology’� 

The results of the modelling indicated the optimum length of the 

effluent pipeline was 6,5 km� For a 6,5 km pipeline, effluent would 

be more than 70 per cent less visible than from a 3 km pipeline, which 

is illustrated in the graphics from the model indicating effluent 

visibility from a 3 km and 6,5 km pipeline� 

At the time the EIA was initiated (February 1997), discussions took 

place with Smit, Lama, and Brown & Root on the construction of 

the pipeline� Discussions were also held with the Norwegian company 

Borregaard on a joint venture for the lignosulphonate business 

(Borregaard had some 60 per cent of the world lignosulphonate 

market)� 

The final EIA was presented to the authorities on 30 September 

1997, in which Saiccor proposed to reduce effluent visibility by 

extending the effluent pipeline to 6,5 km, while at the same time 

building a 55 000 t lignosulphonate plant� The Department of Water 

Affairs accepted the proposal and issued Saiccor with a new effluent 

permit in November 1997 on condition that the effluent pipeline 

would be extended to 6,5 km by December 1998, and that the 

lignosulphonate plant would be at full capacity by the middle of 

1999� 

Smit and Lama were the leading contenders for the pipeline 

contract� 

Although Smit were the preferred suppliers, in view of what they 

had done in 1987, their considerably higher price could not be justified� 

The project at a cost of R95 million was approved in December 1997 

and the order was immediately placed on Lama� The order for the 

stainless steel was placed on Columbus, half the pipe manufacture 

was given to Hall Longmore, the other half to ND Engineering and 

site construction to ND Engineering� Martin Bellamy was Lama’s 

Project Manager while Graham Kelly was appointed Saiccor’s Project 

Manager for the pipeline, and Clifton van Rooyen Project Coordinator� 

Graham was born on 30 April 1946 in Liverpool, where he 

completed his Electrical Engineering degree in 1974� He emigrated to 

South Africa and worked for Nylon Spinners in Hammersdale from 

1975–1986� He emigrated to Australia in 1986, where he was hired 

by Thys de Waard when on a recruiting trip in 1989� He joined Saiccor 

on 4 December 1989 as Assistant Engineering Manager, Instruments, 

and a year later Services and Building were added to his portfolio but 

were relinquished in 1996 when he headed the electrical and 

instruments departments� In 1998 he was appointed Project Manager Graham Kelly 

172


Signing of the LignoTech Joint Venture, 1997� STANDING: Gunnar 

Vickstrom (Borregaard) and Alan Tubb (Saiccor); SEATED: Ian Forbes 

(Sappi) and Egil Ulibo (Borregaard) 

of the Y2K project in addition to his normal duties� He again emigrated 

to Australia in February 2001� Graham was a capable engineer, but 

gave the impression of being distant from people and somewhat 

overconcerned about his ‘rights’� 

Also in December 1997 a 50/50 joint venture – LignoTech South 

Africa – between Borregaard and Saiccor was signed to operate a 

lignosulphonate business� Borregaard would supply the technical and 

marketing expertise, while Saiccor would supply the raw material 

and local knowledge� The 55 000 t/a lignosulphonate plant was 

approved for R108 million� 

As Borregaard were responsible for the technical specification of 

the plant, they appointed the overall Project Manager – Tom Rabitski, 

an American� As Tom spent as much time in the US as in Umkomaas 

during the project, a large part of the management fell on Saiccor’s 

Project Manager, Wayne Weston� 

Wayne was born in Durban on 26 November 1960� After completing 

his Chemical Engineering degree at the University of Natal he worked 

for Mondi for 22 months before joining Saiccor as a chemical engineer 

on 1 May 1986� In April 1987 he was transferred to the technical 

department but transferred back to the production department in 

October 1988 as an Assistant Production Manager� In 1989 he worked 

on the feasibility study for the Mkomazi plant and in 1992 managed 

the installation and commissioning of the new chlorine dioxide plant� 

On 1 January 1993 he was appointed Production Manager and on 

1 January 1994 Senior Production Manager� In January 1998 he was 

appointed Project Manager for LignoTech and in February 2000 Project 

Manager for ISO 14000� He was appointed Plant Manager for Pulp 

173 

Wayne Weston


Finishing on 1 October 2000� Wayne is a capable chemical engineer 

and manager� 

The world market for lignosulphonates in 1997 was some one 

million tons per annum, of which Borregaard, the world leader in 

lignin technology, had about 60 per cent market share� At that time 

there were only 11 lignosulphonate plants in the world� 

Lignosulphonate products have a variety of commercial applications 

in industries, ranging from animal feeds to concrete, ceramics, bricks 

and tiles� Over 90 per cent of the 55 000 t/a lignosulphonates to be 

extracted from Saiccor effluent was expected to be exported, earning 

some U$19 million in foreign exchange for South Africa� To date 

Borregaard’s investment in LignoTech South Africa is the biggest 

investment made by a Norwegian company in South Africa� 

The construction of the lignosulphonate plant had only just started 

when on 27 February 1998 the Norwegian Minister of Trade and 

Finance, Lars Sponheim, with a trade delegation from Norway, visited 

Saiccor� The South African government was represented at the visit 

by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Ben Ngubane, Minister of Economic 

Affairs (KZN), Jacob Zuma, and the Minister of Agriculture (KZN), 

Narend Singh� Premier Ngubane praised Saiccor for embarking on a 

quest to be a world-class company, and welcomed Borregaard as the 

newest member of KwaZulu Natal’s industrial family� 

Major orders for the lignosulphonate plant were placed in 

September 1997 (evaporator from IMS and spray dryer from APV 

Anhydro; the packing line from Haver & Boekner came some time 

later)� Construction of the plant started in December 1997 and 

LEFT TO RIGHT: Jacob Zuma, Ben Ngubane, Sinclair Stone and Narend 

Singh, during the visit of the Norwegian trade delegation to Saiccor, 1998 

174 

KwaZulu-Natal premier Ben 

Ngubane (RIGHT) presents a shield 

to Lars Sponheim, the Norwegian 

Minister of Trade and Finance, on 

a visit to Saiccor in 1998


Artist’s impression of completed LignoTech plant 

progressed steadily without any major problem (although there were 

numerous minor ones)� The plant was 73 per cent complete by August 

1998, 89 per cent by October, and commissioned in December 1998� 

The plant was officially opened at a colourful ceremony on 29 

March 1999 by Eugene van As, Executive Chairman of Sappi and 

Jens Heyerdahl, President of Orkla (owner of Borregaard)� Guests 

attending the opening were transported to the LignoTech site in an 

old-fashioned Umgeni steam train (Saiccor loco)� 

In his opening address Eugene van As said, ‘In the past, Saiccor 

sold only the cellulosic content of its raw material – timber� LignoTech 

South Africa now gives us the opportunity to find added value in a 

previously unused element of this timber�’ 

In its first 18 months of operation, LignoTech South Africa failed 

to reach its production and profit targets� In early 2000 an experienced 

manager from LignoTech Germany, Harry Konig, took over as General 

Manager� Plant performance soon turned around to achieve expected 

results� 

The site for constructing the effluent pipeline was established on 

Fontana’s farm in Ilfracombe in February 1998� By March the 

launchway under the road (R102) and the rail line had been 

constructed, and by April 12 m lengths of concrete coated stainless 

steel pipes started arriving on the site� By May the first pipes were on 

the launchway and the barge to pull the pipeline out to sea arrived 

off Umkomaas� The ‘pull’ started in June but soon stopped because 

of mechanical problems with the pull wire ‘grippers’ on the barge� 

Turbulent seas that damaged the surf zone structures designed to 

support the pipeline into the sea delayed the recommencing of the 

pull� In late July the pipe was pulled out 68 m, where it stuck in a 

sandbank� The jetty had to be extended by 40 m to enable the pipeline 

to be lifted over the sandbank� 

175 

LignoTech South Africa, in 

operation


Guests attending the opening of the lignosulphonate plant on 29 March 1999 were transported to the LignoTech site 

in an old-fashioned Umgeni steam train pulled by a Saiccor locomotive 

By September Greg Wolfe had taken over as Lama’s 

Project Manager and by October a report was 

received from Smit indicating Lama’s barge lacked 

power and that the 3,5 km pipeline would have to 

be pulled out in two 1,75 km sections� By this stage 

the project had become a public embarrassment to 

Saiccor� Further mechanical failures on the barge and 

associated equipment delayed the pull of the first 

1,75 km section to 10–24 December� Following 

consultations with the Permit Advisory Panel (PAP), 

the Department of Water Affairs extended the 

deadline for the completion of the pipeline from 31 

December 1998 to 30 April 1999� The second 1,75 

km section was pulled into position by 3 March 1999� 

The two ‘spool’ pieces were then installed to connect 

the existing 3 km pipeline to the two new 1,75 km 

sections� The 6,5 km pipeline was commissioned on 

20 April 1999� Although the project was completed 

late, the cost at R55 million was considerably lower 

than the budget of R95 million� 

The official opening of the new pipeline by the Minister of Water 

Affairs and Forestry, Ronnie Kasrils, took place on 9 July 1999 in a 

marquee on the south bank of the Mkomazi River mouth� 

Complaints about effluent ceased after the 6,5 km pipeline was 

commissioned� On 19 November 1999, Glen Jansen wrote to the local 

176 

Construction of the 6,5 km effluent 

pipeline, 1998: TOP A pipe seam 

welding machine in action at ND 

Engineering BOTTOM Doublejointing 

operations underway


newspaper The Sun, saying: ‘The impact area is 

primarily between Umbogintwini to 

Scottburgh, and I have personally seen a vast 

improvement in water quality along this whole 

coastline that was regularly discoloured by 

Saiccor effluent� In fact we have experienced 

some “Mauritius” type colour�’ 

It is curious that ‘environmentalists’ react very 

strongly to the discolouration of the sea by 

Saiccor effluent yet are ‘blind’ to the 

discolouration by river dirt (the latter is 

supposedly ‘natural’)� In a letter to the Mid South 

Coast Mail in December 1986, Ted Beesley, in his 

personal capacity, lamented the loss of valuable 

top soil into the sea, pointing out that in 1985 

the Mkomazi River carried some 1,5 million tons 

of soil into the sea� This was equivalent to a soil 

depth of 0,35 mm across the entire 4 310 square 

kilometres of the Mkomazi catchment area� He 

asked whether anyone considered this 

significant� Since then (by 2002) more than 

5 mm have disappeared – and no one yet seems to be concerned� 

Once a plan to reduce the effluent discolouration of the sea had 

been agreed, the communities surrounding the mill focused their 

attention on Saiccor’s gas emissions (sulphur dioxide)� As gas 

emissions had been an issue since 1986, Saiccor emphasised what 

had been done over the previous 10 to15 years, which the authorities 

appreciated, but the communities ignored� 

The Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Ronnie Kasrils (left), Sappi 

Chairman, Eugene van As (right), and Sappi Saiccor Managing Director, Alan 

Tubb, (centre) unveil the plaque marking the official opening of the Sappi Saiccor 

pipeline extension, 9 July 1999� The plaque is positioned underneath the railway 

bridge at the south bank of the Umkomaas River 

177 

Construction of the 6,5 km effluent 

pipeline, 1998: TOP Barge moving 

offshore whilst laying pull wires 

BOTTOM Extension of the jetty 

after the pipeline stuck in a 

sandbank


Total quantity of sulphur dioxide emitted (tons/day), 1986-1997 

A continuous ambient sulphur dioxide monitor was installed in the 

community in 1989, a second in 1994, and a further two in 1995� As 

the total amount of sulphur dioxide emitted decreased, so the 

concentration of sulphur dioxide measured in the communities also 

reduced, as did the number of times the authorities’ guidelines for 

the levels of sulphur dioxide in ambient air were exceeded� However 

there were still occasions when these guidelines were exceeded and 

there were still complaints, although the two seldom coincided� A 

health study conducted in 1997 concluded there was no danger to 

human health� 

Although the local communities continued to complain about gas 

emissions between 1997 and 1999, the intensity of the complaints 

started to diminish as it had become noticeable that Saiccor had 

addressed the issue� However in the evening of 15 September 1999, 

the discharge valve on No 18 digester was inadvertently opened 

through the computer system when trying to rectify a problem on 

No 17 digester� As No 18 was cooking, cooking liquor rich in sulphur 

dioxide was discharged into part of the process plant that normally 

contained pulp� Consequently a cloud of sulphur dioxide was emitted 

and blew undetected over the Drift community� On the assumption 

that there was something wrong with the discharge valve on No 18 

digester, the air pipes controlling the valve were swopped around to 

close the valve; the digester then continued operating� The following 

morning it was realised that an error had been made on the computer 

system the previous day and, unaware that the air pipes had been 

swopped, the computer system was corrected� The discharge valve 

again opened, and this time sulphur dioxide went over the Naidoo 

Memorial School in Roseneath (some 3 km away)� Although sulphur 

dioxide concentrations were not high, they were detected and the 

headmaster called the emergency response� When the emergency 

response vehicles arrived at the school the pupils panicked� Some 100 

pupils were treated for gassing and hyperventilation� The incident 

178


made front page news (including the SABC National TV news), 

severely tarnishing Saiccor’s image� 

The Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs set up 

an official inquiry, from which followed several recommendations� 

These included another four ambient sulphur dioxide monitors in 

the communities, together with air speed and direction monitors� In 

addition, seven early warning monitors were to be placed between 

the mill and the communities� All sulphur dioxide sources in the mill 

were to be fed into a computer model that would continuously predict 

sulphur dioxide levels in the community and raise an alarm before 

pre-set levels were reached� The Community Awareness and 

Emergency Response (CAER) forum was reinstituted to exchange 

information between Saiccor and the communities� 

All recommendations from the inquiry were in operation from 

January 2001� 

Tragedy struck in the early hours of the morning of 20 July 2000, 

when Xolani Philemon Ngcoba fell to his death in No 5 chipper while 

trying to clear a log jam� Xolani was born on 24 January 1952 and 

joined Saiccor in 1973 as a general worker, working himself up to a 

Junior Operator in the woodyard� He was well respected by all for 

being an exceptionally hard worker who gave his best at all times� 

Another tragedy occurred on 31 July 2001� At around midnight on 

the 30th gas was detected emanating from No 11 digester, which 

was nearing the end of a cook� The Operating Chargehand Elliot 

Cele, went to investigate� A piece of the digester shell, some 2 m x 2 m, 

suddenly tore loose, allowing the contents of the digester to erupt 

with volcanic force, killing Elliot in the blast� Woli Elliot Cele was 

born on 10 October 1960, and joined Saiccor on 20 October 1980 as 

an Assistant Operator in digesters� In 1989 he was promoted to Senior 

Operator but realised any further promotion would be dependent on 

his furthering his education� He started studying Pulp and Papermaking 

through the Sappi college� He achieved N4 in 1998, enabling 

him to be promoted to Chargehand in 1999� He achieved N6 in April 

2001� He was an ambitious and hard working man, well respected 

by his colleagues� 

The rupture of No 11 digester occurred very suddenly and very 

violently, hurling debris hundreds of metres� Metallurgical examination 

of the ruptured vessel did not readily reveal the cause of failure� Avesta 

(Sweden), the designers of the vessel, who knew of no previous failure 

anywhere in the world, undertook original research work in an 

attempt to determine the cause of failure� Avesta concluded that a 

fire in No 11 digester in May 2000 altered the metallurgy of the 

stainless steel welds, significantly reducing their corrosion resistance� 

Andy Stretton left Saiccor for New Zealand at the end of July 2001� 

Tony Neave replaced him as Plant Manager� Tony joined Saiccor on 

179 

Xolani Philemon Ngcoba 

Woli Elliot Cele


No 11 digester ruptured violently in 2001, hurling debris hundreds of 

metres and causing the death of the Operating Chargehand, Elliot Cele 

1 February 1981 as Saiccor’s first Pulp and Paper diploma student at 

the Technikon� After completing his studies, he was appointed a Shift 

Superintendent on 1 January 1984� He was promoted to Production 

Manager of the woodyard on 1 September 1990 and transferred to 

the same position in the magnesium plant on 1 September 1995� He 

was appointed Senior Production Manager on 1 January 1998� Tony 

is a quiet but strong and capable individual� 

In 1998 Saiccor’s environmental department (Mike Bentley, Derek 

Airey and Samuel Mokoena) started preparing Saiccor for the 

environmental management system, ISO 14000� Progress was slow, 

and in February 2000 Wayne Weston, having recently completed 

the LignoTech project, was appointed Project Manager for ISO 

14000 to assist the environmental department� An environmental 

policy was devised, which was followed by setting objectives and 

targets for the mill� Procedures were then written after which line 

managers wrote work instructions� By this time most people at 

Saiccor were involved in ISO 14000� A pre-assessment audit was 

carried out from 6–7 December 2000 by TUV (Bavaria), who 

commented that good progress had been made� A pre-audit was 

carried out from 2–4 April 2001 and a final audit date of 2–4 July 

2001 was set� 

On 1 January 2001 Craig Daniel joined Saiccor to supplement the 

environmental department and was immediately launched into ISO 

14000� A marine biologist (B�Sc�) and zoologist (M�Sc�), Craig had 

180 

Diagram of No 11 digester indicating 

the piece that tore out 

Tony Neave


previously worked as an environmental conservation officer in Port 

Elizabeth� The ISO 14000 audit set for July had to be postponed as 

the trade union had declared a strike over a wage dispute� The audit 

took place from 6–8 August where auditors, TUV, required seven 

‘findings’ to be rectified within 90 days before issuing an ISO 14000 

certificate� The ‘findings’ were largely for oil in storm water and 

incorrect storage of chemicals� Frantic rectification work took place 

before 23 October 2001, when the ‘findings’ were again audited and 

found to be in order� An ISO 14000 certificate was issued by TUV 

(Bavaria) on 31 January 2002� 

The fiftieth anniversary of the registration of Saiccor as a company 

was marked on 12 September 2001� It had been decided to celebrate 

the day in a relatively low-key fashion, as the arrival of the Italians in 

1954 and the first production on 1 December 1955 were considered 

more noteworthy events� The anniversary was to be honoured with 

a banner at the entrance to the mill noting the occasion and a 

commemorative desk clock given to each employee� However, 

Saiccor’s fiftieth anniversary was completely overshadowed by the 

horrific events that took place in New York on 11 September 2001� 

Everyone was too numb with shock to celebrate�The Saiccor mill 

carried on� 

The Saiccor mill, 2001 

181 

Craig Daniel


The Saiccor mill over the years 

TOP: 1950s 

MIDDLE: 1960s 

BOTTOM: 1990s 

182


Index 

Ahrens, Hugh 107 

Ainhirn, Hans 36-38 

Airey, Derek 144, 145, 180 

Aldgate, Bryan 147, 147 

Aldred, F C (Fred) 5, 6, 

6, 7, 18, 32, 48, 56, 62, 

64, 72 

Allegro, A 41 

Almond, Alan 103 

Anderson, Graham 69 

Arde, Jacques (Jack) 121, 

121-22, 130, 136, 142-43 

Asmal, Prof� Kader 160, 

170 

Baldin, Enoc 12, 34, 34, 

88, 88, 89, 143 

Baldin, Giovanni 45, 51, 68 

Baldo, Sergio 113, 130, 

130, 143 

Barnard, Rowland 143 

Barry, Roy 34, 34 

Bassi, D 5, 7, 

Battiston, Alfredo 84, 

84, 103 , 131, 144 

Baum, Chris 127 

Beard, Brian 68, 154, 

154-55 

Beatie, Bert 45 

Beesley, Ted 33-34, 45, 

51, 59, 59, 70, 84, 86, 

106-108, 123, 132, 144, 

147-48, 152, 177 

Bellamy, Martin 172 

Beltramini, Renzo 52, 52 

Bentley, Mike 83, 99, 

103, 127, 130, 143-144, 

150, 158, 158, 161, 

161-62, 180 

Bernard, Sir Dallas 49 

Bernstein, Mark 6, 8, 38 

Bertossi, Jacqui 167 

Biral, Bepi 79, 79, 

Boem, Rino 13, 14, 14 

Botha, Jacobus (Cobus) 

147, 147 

Boulter, Norman 34-35, 45, 

50, 50, 72, 80, 94, 98-99, 

102, 103, 103-104, 107- 

108, 113, 120, 122, 

126-27, 130, 132, 166 

Bowles, Gary 89, 143, 

161, 161 

Bowling, Adrian 92 

Bowman, Dr 111 

Bozzone, Arturo 10, 11, 11 

Bozzone, Ezio 11, 11, 37 

Bozzone, Renee 11, 42 

Bozzone, Roberto 11, 

11, 42 

Bramuzzo, Assuero 26, 35, 

49, 49, 51 

Bramuzzo, Fabiana 49 

Brannigan, Paddy 34-37, 

51, 56, 61, 64, 64, 67, 

68, 72, 76, 80, 89, 93, 

94, 98, 99 

Breckenridge, Mr 37 

Brown, Lord George 88 

Bruce, Dr 18, 26, 51 

Brull, Mike 73, 73, 105, 113 

Brunetti, Dr 

Alessandro 5, 6, 7, 7, 

22, 22, 25, 25, 57 

Brusa, Dr 18, 26 

Butler, Tony 74, 82, 92, 

99, 105, 144, 167, 167 

Byrne, Harry 167 

Campbell, Don 74, 74, 

103, 121 

Campbell, Gordon 

Arden 9, 102, 112, 

117, 119, 119, 120-22, 

124-7, 130, 134-8 

Cantacuzene, Barbara 1 

Cantacuzene, Michel 

Surgueyevitch 1, 1, 8, 

9, 12, 21, 25, 25, 38, 

43, 54, 58, 59, 59 

Cantacuzene, Pam 59 

Carnevale, Alberto 87 

Carr, Andrew 103, 103, 

112, 116, 122, 130, 

136, 143 

Carrick, John 8, 9, 26, 

45, 72 

Casale, Domenico 87 

Casarin, Giovanni 53 

Catholic Church 18 

Cathro, Mike 143, 162 

Cele, Woli Elliot 179, 179 

Ceriani, Silvio 143, 154, 

162, 162, 167 

Cescutti, Renzo 37, 39, 39 

Ceselin, Father 

Umberto 18, 43, 43 

Charlton, J 25 

Chiccaro, Adelmo 34 

Chiccaro, Lauro 53, 113 

Clark, Timothy 41 

Clark, Dave 41, 131 

Clark, Raymond 41 

Clark, Trish 41 

Clement, Prince 76 

Club Communita 

Italiana 22, 43, 43 

Collins, Sam 59, 60, 61 

Connell, Dr Allan 144, 172 

Cornish-Bowden, A C M 

(Claude) 7, 8, 25 

Corrado, Enea 12, 26, 51 

Coutts, Gary 162, 167 

Cox, Kevin 153, 155, 

158, 158 

Coxell, Graham 143, 

143, 166 

Cristin, Ernesto 75 

Crompton, Jake 38 

Cudin, Marino 45, 51, 69, 

91, 91, 92, 98, 130, 143 

Curtis, Ben 73, 83 

Damiano, Archbishop 43 

Daniel, Craig 180, 181 

Daroux, W G 5, 7 

Davey, John 34, 68, 98, 

99, 130, 130, 143 

Davidson, David 74 

Davidson, Fred 74 

Davies, Lionel 99, 103, 

114, 114, 131, 167 

Day-Lewis, Nick 83, 89, 99 

De Corte, Luigi 13, 14, 

De Faveri, Alfonso 26, 

35, 51 

De Jager, Piet 75 

De Kock, H� 22 

De Robillard, Pierre 

Auguste Maxime 

(Max) 89, 143, 144, 

144, 163, 167 

De Waal Meyer, Mr P 22 

De Waard, M P (Thys) 

142, 152, 153, 153, 

154, 155 , 166 

Del Bianco, Ego 28 

Del Ponte, Piero 41, 53 

Del Vecchio, Silvano 37, 

39, 39 

Dell, Peter Lawson 99, 

101, 101, 102, 103, 

107, 111, 111 

Della Martina, 

Gastone 40, 52 

Della Martina, Gino 12, 

12, 44, 45, 100, 103, 105 

Della Martina, 

Lorenzo 12 

Devos, R V D 25 

Deyzel, Willem 31 

Di Marco, Eridanio 34, 34, 

37, 39, 39, 75, 89, 143 

Dick, B M 142 

Dlamini, Alfred 95 

Dlamini, Milton 95 

D’Oliviera, Errol 152, 

152, 167 

Domiro, Mario 87 

Dose, Francesco 12 

Du Plooy, Attie 34, 74, 83 

Duncan-Anderson, R R 

D (Scotch) 120, 120- 

22,130-31, 136, 140 

Earnshaw, John 45, 51, 

56, 72, 72, 73, 103, 121 

East, Vic 34, 38, 45, 51, 83 

Eddleston, Fred 75, 99 

Evans, Glynn 82, 82, 83, 91 

Ferreira, Martin 51, 68, 

75, 91, 94, 105, 105, 

127, 130, 143 

Fitzgerald, Tom 26, 45, 

51, 56, 57, 84 

Fogolar Furlan 41, 41 

Fonda, Dr Fabio 12, 18, 

18, 25, 25, 26, 28, 35, 51 

Fontana, Achille 34, 70, 70 

Fontana, Raoul 70, 70 

183 

Forbes, I D (Ian) 143, 

161, 166, 166, 173 

Fortune, Roy 51, 69 

Fowler, R O 25 

Fox, Des 113 

Fox, Harry 93 

Franceschi, C 51 

Garz, Gunther 127, 166, 

167 

Gay, Stan 45, 74 

Gianpietri, Dr 41, 51 

Glannister, Phil 131, 144 

Goodenough, Bill 147, 

148, 148 

Goodenough, 

Kenneth 148 

Goodwill, Prince 76, 76 

Gori, Sergio 34 

Govender, Nad 148, 148 

Govender, Sugan 148, 148 

Govetto, Sergio 53 

Graveson, Ian 170 

Grew, John 33 

Haggett, Rick 124, 132 

Hall, Andrew 154 

Hanbury-Williams, 

Barbara 1 

Hanbury-Williams, Sir 

John 1, 3, 3, 22, 22, 49 

Hancock, Col� A 5, 7 

Harding, Pauline 83, 83, 

103 

Harman, Tom 26, 35, 45, 


Harper, Warwick 34 

Hart, Maurice 144, 145 

Hastie, W F (Bill) 8, 13, 

25, 25, 32, 37, 37, 38, 

50, 50, 56, 64, 153 

Hay, Errol 58, 59, 59 

Herbert, Alfred 33 

Herd, John 167 

Heron, Ian 142, 142, 

155, 157, 160, 161 

Hewitt, W E 143 

Heyerdahl, Jens 175 

Hilcove, Maurice 35 

Hillcoat, David 112, 

112, 122 

Hinck, John 121, 121- 

23, 126, 130, 136, 140 

Hlungwane, Stanley 94 

Hogg, Sir Christopher 

102, 102, 104, 105, 

116, 123, 137, 138 

Hollington-Sawyer, Col� 

Francis 37, 39 

Hopkins, Andy 116 

Howlett, Mike 83, 97, 

98, 98, 103, 105, 122, 

125-26, 154 

Hudson, Bill 131 

Hughes, Deon 73 

Huismans, Sipco 102, 

116, 117, 120, 130 

Hunt, Bill 83, 105, 105 

Hunt-Davis, D N A 72 

Ioppo, Gianni 53, 113 

Ioppo, Graziano 

(Ciano) 34, 42, 45, 50, 

57, 57, 84� 86, 94, 98, 

103, 105, 131, 144, 152 

Italian Club 12, 52, 54, 91 

James, Garth 143, 154, 162 

Jansen, Dr E G 22, 23, 23 

Jansen, Glen 160, 160, 176 

Job, Dr J L (John) 166, 

166, 168 

Johnson, Axel 30 

Johnson, Richard 158 

Jorgensen-Lian, 

Bernard 113, 167, 167 

Kalamouducos, Natalie 

113 

Kasrils, Ronnie 176, 177 

Kearton, Lord 6, 25, 49, 

49-50, 54, 56, 62, 64, 

68, 72, 80, 80, 86, 88, 

102, 137 

Kelly, Graham 143, 150- 

51, 162, 167, 172, 172, 

Kerr, Colin 152, 152-53 

Kerr, Ryan 166, 167 

Keyes, Derek 50 

Khumalo, Joe 112, 112 

Kieviet, W H 51 

Kikine, Sam 112, 112, 

113, 162 

Kilmartin, Bob 103 

Kittshoff, J J (Jan) 8, 72, 72 

Knight, Sir Arthur 72, 

102, 137 

Kruger, Ronnie 69 

Kushke, G S J 

(Siegfried) 8, 25, 56, 

64, 64, 72 

Kweyema, Maxwell 94, 96 

Lapping, Dr D 45, 74 

Larkan, Trevor 121, 121, 

139-31, 136, 137, 142, 

152 

Lido Hotel, The 9, 10, 

42, 100, 126 

Lofstrand, Allan 30, 30, 

79, 87, 124 

Luger, Stephen 171 

Mabida, Joseph 123 

Macbeth, Alistair 75, 113 

Macdonald, M 72, 120, 130 

Mackenzie, Dr Hector 

Douglas 121, 126, 

129, 129-30, 134-35, 

136, 140 

Mackenzie, Dr Ian 

(John) 35, 36 

Magabeni 44, 44, 76, 

127, 133 

Magrin, Ado 42, 42, 51, 

73, 74 

Magubane, David 94, 

95, 95


Magubane, Ephraim 95, 95 

Magubane, Moses 42, 95, 

95, 99, 113, 147, 148 

Maisles, Issy 58 

Makhaye, Douglas 162 

Malisan, Fiorenzo 75 

Malpiedi, Marcello 33, 

33-34, 97, 116-17, 141- 

43, 145, 146 

Manfredini, Prof L 8 

Mansoor, Mohamed 170 

March, Barry 86 

Marinotti, Dr Franco 1, 

4, 5, 5, 22, 23 

Marshall, George 143, 

154, 154, 166 

Martelossi, Giuseppi 

(Bepi) 34, 41, 41, 45, 

51, 68, 77, 77, 78, 84, 

94, 99, 130, 135, 143 

Martelossi, Ilva 78 

Martelossi, Imperia 18 

Martin, Hugh 144, 145, 

145, 166 

Mason, Franco 42, 51, 

52, 52 

Mason, Guiseppe 52 

Mather, Sir William 68 

Mazery, Roland Egon 

Jean-Marie 135, 138- 

40, 141, 141, 143, 152, 

155, 157, 161, 163 

Mazzaro, Luigi 53, 105, 

131, 131, 143, 167 

Mblambo, Julius 

Mehlomane 37, 39 

McCann, Mike 103, 131 

McFeat, Jimmy 34, 73, 

73, 105, 131, 143, 166 

McGregor, Alistair 161, 166 

McInnes, Jimmy 45, 74, 

74, 103, 131 

Mdlalose, Dr Frank 160, 

161 

Melkjorsen, Viggo 26, 

26, 35, 45, 50 

Meneghel, P (Paolo) 41, 89 

Mensi, Cesare 134, 134 

Mian, Piero 30, 30, 73, 

88, 99, 103, 105, 112 

Miniutti, Piero 8, 34 

Mitchell, Douglas 59 

Mitchell, Jock 8, 45, 51 

Mitchell, Nan 42 

Mkhize, Elijah 34 

Mncwabe, Divas 160, 161 

Mnguni, Mrs A J 76, 76 

Monte, Ferruccio 10, 11, 

11, 37, 40, 41 

Monte, Piercarlo 11 

Moore, Janet 108 

More, John 18, 32, 48, 

82, 82, 143 

Moro, Silvano 13, 14, 

14, 18, 40, 68, 75, 113, 

127, 127, 130 

Morris, Peter 115, 115, 

143, 166, 170 

Mortarino, Dr Renzo 26, 

35, 51 

Mortimer, Graham 13, 

14, 14, 18, 26, 26, 34- 

38, 45, 50, 56, 73, 88 

Mostert, Nic 151, 151 

Mowatt, Colin 166, 166 

Mshengu, Jerome 160 

Mthuli, Alison 13, 14, 15 

Muller, Eckhard 147, 

149-50 

Murphy, Clive 122-123 

Murphy, Colin 125 

Murray, Kier 74, 103, 131 

Mussolini, Benito 5 

Mynors, D R B 5, 25, 56 

Mzotho, Bernard 94 

Nardi, Francesco 12, 12, 26 

Natal Mercury 15, 16, 

17, 22, 58, 108, 109 

Natali, Giorgio 34, 51, 

65, 73, 79, 79, 83, 99, 

105, 143 

Ndlovu, Moffat 95, 96 

Neave, Tony 143, 179, 180 

New South Barrow 

Hotel 9, 9, 13, 17 

Ngcoba, Xolani 

Philemon 179, 179 

Ngubane, Ben 174, 174 

Ngubane, Eric 160 

Nicholson, Eugene 113 

Nxele, Michael 112 

Oehgren, Torgny 92, 92, 

93, 98, 105, 106 

Panizzolo, Leone 105 

Paton, Laird 155 

Pavan, Daniele 53 

Pavan, Roberto 89 

Pavan, Romeo 53 

Peddie, Bruce 99, 131 

Phungula, Osborne 34 

Pianto, Camillo 8, 40 

Pienaar, H 142 

Pinnock Peter 144 

Piovesan, Giuliano 53 

Piovesan, Pietro 53 

Pollock, Robin 103, 130 

Porter, Andy 99, 103, 

113, 113, 122, 130, 

136, 142, 161 

Pretorius, Rapha 115 

Rabitski, Tom 173 

Radziwill, Dom 21 

Railton, Garth 34 

Rainey, Eric 154 

Rainier, Kevin 167 

Ranger, Roland (Tex) 112 

Rattray, Loring 2, 2, 6, 

7, 8, 22 

Rattray, Major Peter 2, 2 

Ravenscroft, Bill 34 

Rea, John 143 

Redding, Strath 38, 45, 68 

Reed, Ken 26, 34, 35, 

50, 50, 62, 65, 72 

Reilly, Gavin 137 

Rhodes, Frank 45, 51, 56, 

66, 73, 73, 79, 83 

Richardson, Keith 153 

Richter, Johan 78 

Richter, Ole 78, 79 

Riecker, Rudi 34 

Rigotti, Silvano 30 

Rivetti, Gino 6, 8, 38, 51, 

68, 69, 79, 79, 92, 98, 

112 

Rivetti, Mannie 18, 53 

Roberts, Bill 88 

Roberts, Douglas 8 

Robinson, Prof� Paul 80 

Robson, Alison 146, 146 

Roche, Pat 45, 51, 69 

Roerig, Tom 150 

Rosicarelli 26 

Rossetto, Aldo 69, 78 

Rossi, Andrea 153, 154, 155 

Rossi, Elio 69, 73, 74, 87, 

88 

Rossouw, Noel 123 

Sabbatini, Domenico 26, 

35, 36, 37, 51, 69 

Saiccor Village 10, 28, 40, 

43, 44 

Salotto, Gino 13, 73 

Scarpa, Carletto 15 

Scarpa, Flavio 18, 53 

Scarpa, Franco 30, 30, 

31, 133 

Scarpa, Renzo 18, 31, 36 

Schoultz, I A 35 

Scorovic, Bruno 34, 50, 69 

Segatto, Attilio 51, 69, 

73, 74, 103, 131, 143 

Segatto, Basillio 34, 69, 

83, 94, 94, 98, 131, 143 

Segatto, Bruna 69 

Segatto, Dirce 69 

Seppa, Dr Illeri 125 

Serravalle, Angelo 26, 34, 


Sguassero, Graziano 

(Box) 53 

Sheldon, C W (Wilfred) 

7, 7, 8 

Shepstone, Denis 22 

Shezi, Israel 94 

Sibisi, Victor 95 

Simonetti, L� 51 

Simonetti, Piero 53, 144, 

144, 166 

Simpson, Alison 144 

Simpson, Derek 144, 144 

Simpson, Malcolm 48, 125 

Singh, Narend 174, 174 

Soldat, Giordano 

(Sack) 13, 15, 30, 53 

Soldat, Giorgio 15 

Soldat, Luigi 15 

Sorenson, Dick 154 

South Barrow Hotel 9, 

10, 37, 

Sowler, Geoff 83, 99, 

103,112 

Spence, Owen 103, 131, 

143, 162 

Spencer, Dr W D 5 

Sponheim, Lars 174, 174 

184 

Stefanelli, I 5, 7, 

Stella, Aldo 123 

Stone, S L (Sinclair) 15, 

15, 34, 82, 89, 104, 107- 

108, 113, 122, 130, 130, 

136, 142, 153, 155, 

160, 166, 174 

Stone, Yvonne 133 

Stretton, Andy 113, 115, 

115, 143, 158, 166, 179 

Stroppolo, Danilo 37, 

39, 39 

Sukaram, Roy 157 

Szabo, “Louis” 34 

Tainton, Oakley 

Warwick 6, 8, 9, 25, 

26, 45, 55-56, 65, 70, 

71, 71-72, 74-76, 76, 

86, 99, 100-102, 107- 

108, 111, 126 

Taverna, Edi 13 

Taverna, Giorgio 53, 83, 

89, 99 

Taverna, Mario 89 

Taylor, Greg 162, 162 167 

Testa, Ugo 45, 50, 68, 264 

Thomas, Bryan 34 45, 

51, 69, 74, 78, 81, 81- 

82, 103, 122, 126, 130, 

136, 140, 142, 146 

Thomas, Janice 113, 113 

Thompson, John 74 

Thomson, Alec L 8, 9, 

45, 74 

Thubron, John 34, 93, 

106, 106 

Timm, Mike 40 

Titton, Stefano 53 

Tokelove, Barry 

Norman 34, 83, 131, 

131, 143 

Topp, Peter 86 

Toward, Ken 167 

Townsend, Bruce 32, 104 

Trevisan, Bepi 13, 14, 14, 

30 143 

Trevisan, Bruno 28, 31, 

34, 50, 73, 83, 88, 88, 

105 

Tubb, Alan David 89, 

165, 165-66, 173, 177 

Turco, Ennio 158 

Turco, Nevio 40 

Turco, Paul 158 

Turco, Sheryl 158 

Turner, Frank 74, 103 

Turner, Dr G B (Geoff) 

102, 115, 116, 120 

Turner, M W (Mike) 142, 

143, 155, 157, 166 

Turner, Ted 40, 51 

Van As, Eugene 136, 139, 

141, 142, 142, 152-53, 

170, 175, 177 

Van den Berg, A J 65, 72 

Van der Merwe, A J 

W 166 

Van der Walt, J L (Johan) 

72, 72, 102, 130 

Van der Walt, 

Tjaart 153, 154 

Van Eck, Dr H J 

(Hendrik) 8, 22, 22, 

23, 25, 54, 59, 61, 61, 

64, 65 

Van Groeningen, 

Lester 112, 144, 144 

Van Rooy, P J (Koos) 8, 

102, 117,120, 120, 130, 

136, 137 

Van Rooyen, Clifton 172 

Vermeer, Cor 124, 133 

Vice, Gordon 130, 143 

Vickstrom, Gunnar 173 

Villaggio Roma 18, 18 

Vlok, Andre 140, 142, 

153, 153, 155 

Von Schoultz 51 

Von Wartburg, Heidy 74 

Walmisley, J B (Jim) 97, 

120, 141, 142, 142, 144 

Watson, Eddie 143, 154, 

154, 167 

Watson, Stuart 167 

Watts, Billie 142 

Webb, Darrell 167 

Weggeelaar, Bill 155 

Weightman, D A 

(Derek) 83, 99, 103, 

112 , 127, 130, 142, 

143, 143, 166 

Wemys, Dr Ken 74 

Weston, Wayne 126, 

142, 173, 173, 180 

Wharton, John 62, 63, 

63, 64, 68, 70, 72 

Wheeler, Don 158 

Wheeler, Mannie 53 

Whelan, Alan 143 

White, Brian 131, 146, 

147, 147 

Williamson, Chris 122, 

122, 124, 130, 136, 

143, 161 

Wooding, Dr N S 

(Norman) 8, 72, 98, 

102, 102, 117 

Wrangham, J R 72, 102, 117 

Wright, Henry 112 

Wykes, Anthony 83, 83, 

99 

Yelland, Neil 143 

Yeomans, John Leslie 25, 

55, 55, 56, 62, 70 

Zamarian, Aldo 51 

Zan, Ennio 30, 34, 45, 

51, 75, 79, 79, 80, 80, 

99, 143 

Zan, Henry 30, 30, 53, 

131, 143, 162, 167 

Zanello, Ido 34 

Zerman, Armando 13, 

13, 15, 40 

Zerman, Mannuel 40, 41 

Zerman, Miranda 40 

Zerman, Raimondo 40 

Zondi, Lawrence 34 

Zuma, Jacob 174, 174

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