New Blood And Positive Developments At Cape Wools

Cape Wools South Africa (Cape Wools) is a dynamic organisation in the South African wool industry, with a clear focus on progress and bringing about positive change in the entire wool value chain. This focus rests on three pillars, namely sustainability, biosecurity and transformation.

- Carin Venter

Deon Saayman, general manager at Cape Wools, says there are quite a few exciting projects and mindset shifts in the pipeline this year, among them a new-look Cape Wools emblem. The drive behind the modernisation is to better reflect the future-oriented mindset of the local wool industry.

The success of South African wool producers, Saayman believes, is directly linked to local as well as international standards for the advancement of the entire industry, and to ensure traceability throughout the value chain. He says it is essential that the local market and producers keep an eye on world trends so that they can act accordingly if major changes do occur.

New directors

In March Cape Wools welcomed two non-executive directors to the board. For the first time in the organisation’s history an independent director, Dr Nandipha Toyota Ndudane, has been appointed to the board.

As a veterinarian, she has years of experience in the livestock industry, especially in the field of genetic improvement. Her main role is to assist communal producers through her knowledge of small stock and wool production. Dr Ndudane sees her role at Cape Wools as an integral part of the transformation process in the communal wool industry of the Eastern Cape, as well as the rest of the country.

The South African Wool and Mohair Buyers’ Association (SAWAMBA) has also for the first time appointed a director, who is not part of the buyers’ house, to serve on the Cape Wools board. Weza Moss is a skilled, dynamic businessman in the car manufacturing industry in Port Elizabeth and brings a new perspective and greater independence to the board.