The tannery was built in 1878 by a German resident, Mr Hogh, and he named it Sutherlands Tannery.

Historical value and jobs of over 60 people have been destroyed after Pietermaritzburg’s 140-year-old leather factory was gutted by flames on Saturday.

It is currently not known what the cause of fire was. Leather from Hart owner Wynand Hart said no monetary value can be placed on both the building and the machinery that were gutted by the fire.

Speaking to The Witness yesterday, Hart said he was at the factory in the Plessislaer area the entire Saturday, and was touched by the devastation the fire left behind.

This is sad because this was the oldest operating tannery in South Africa. It has been part of the community for a very long time. Over 60 people worked there and now, it all went up in flames and there was nothing that could be saved. Investigators will be there (today) to gather information that will assist in determining the cause of the fire.

He said all the machinery has been destroyed.

One of the options will definitely be to rebuild the factory but it won’t have the sentimental value it carried. The bricks won’t be the same and all the machines, with their age, are gone, hence we can’t put monetary value to the damage and it is early days to make any assumptions on the cost of the damages.

When the fire broke out the main factory was totally gutted. The Msunduzi fire department, Midlands EMS and other emergency services were on scene.

According to Midlands EMS spokesperson Roland Robertson there were no injuries on the fire.

“There was a huge structural fire and the cause of the fire will be further investigated,” Robertson told The Witness on Saturday.

The tannery was built in 1878 by a German resident, Mr Hogh, and he named it Sutherlands Tannery.
During WWII it was nationalised and taken over by Imperial Cold Storage.

They supplied boots and regalia to soldiers during the war. Wynand and Petro Hart bought the tannery in 1996 and named it Leather from Hart.

The Hart’s are still actively involved in the day-to-day running of the tannery.

Msunduzi mayoral spokesperson, Zazi Nxeles said mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla will be visiting the factory on Tuesday.

The mayor is aware of the devastating news and will make an official visit to the site on Tuesday. This adds salt to the wound given that people are still recovering from the recent devastating floods and riots that saw thousands of jobs lost. It is after the visit that the mayor will decide on what intervention the municipality can make.

The Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business said the loss of the factory was a devastating blow for both the economy of the city and history.

Chief executive officer, Melani Veness said: “It is heartbreaking to see one of our factories burn to the ground like this. That particular factory was a heritage building, a city landmark. It’s a big loss and it’s very sad. I’m devastated for the team at Leather from Heart.

The tannery has been in existence for 140 years and is a big employer in the Plessislaer area. I hope that they’ll be able to rebuild soon.

She said the tannery’s engineering team have been working non-stop since then to repair damaged water and electricity infrastructure in the remaining sections of the entire building.