iW iilii

The diary of
Henry Francis Fyn n ’s diary, written with ink
m anufactured from flowers and carried
m any thousands o f m iles in the skin o f an
elephant’s ear, is the earliest available
record o f the present city o f Durban.
M uch o f the original d iary w as buried in
the grave o f his younger brother F ran k by
the A frican s present, who thought it belonged
to him. H enry, therefore, rewrote most o f
the contents fro m m em ory, m ainly between
18 59 -18 6 1, when he returned to live in Natal.
The following excerpts, in F yn n ’s own words,
are reprinted on the occasion o f D urban’s
150th anniversary to rem ind us o f the stream
o f pioneer m en and wom en who contributed
towards the greatness o f the city as we know
it today. t

1823
1824
H. F. Fynn by F. T. Ions, a
well-known artist of the
day. The picture stands on
Fynn's kist, which is still
full of original notes on
flora, fauna and Zulu
history and customs.
left England and arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1818. In December of the same year I
left Cape Town in H.M. brig. ‘Leveret’, for Algoa Bay, en route for Somerset Farm, an exten­
sive Government establishment.
In 1822 I left Somerset Farm and walked from Grahamstown to Cape Town. After 3 weeks I
began to despair of obtaining a position, not for want of openings, but because I was too
diffident to ask. I decided to return to England, but was without the means of doing so.
On going one day to the office of Messrs. H. Nourse & Co., Merchants, I found that the brig
‘Mary’, and the sloop ‘Jane’, were about to be sent to Delagoa Bay on a trading expedition. I was
appointed supercargo of the ‘Jane’, in June. Our voyage to Delagoa took 12 days and we
returned to the Cape in the first week of December.
It was Lt. Francis George Farewell who first projected a British settlement at Port Natal. His
view was that the ivory and gold dust obtained by the Portuguese at Delagoa Bay was derived
from St. Lucia Bay, near which a large part of the Zulu nation lived under their great chief
Shaka. He chartered the ‘Salisbury’, also a smaller vessel the sloop ‘Julia’, freighting both with
a cargo designed for native traffic. In this venture he was associated with King.
On reaching St. Lucia, Farewell and King made several unsuccessful attempts to land the
cargo and open a communication with Shaka. They now attempted to enter the Port of Natal
and open up communication by an overland North East route of 150 miles. The ‘Julia’,
commanded by Armstrong, entered the port. He walked N -E to the Umgeni river, but all
prospects of establishing communication were abandoned. The two vessels returned to the Cape,
reaching it on December 3rd, a few days before us.
Before Farewell had been in Cape Town a month he had induced his father-in-law, Mr. Peter­
sen, and another Dutch gentleman of the name of Hoffman, to join him in partnership. He, at
this time, made proposals to me that I should have the entire management of the trading
transactions.
Instead of allowing me salary, I should receive a handsome percentage to be decided upon
after being one month in port. I at once consented. Travelling and new scenes were to me a
greater object than any pecuniary advantage.
In beating up for volunteers, Farewell used all his diligence to induce as many Englishmen as
he could to join the party, while Petersen and Hoffman used their efforts to enrol Dutchmen.
This created daily soreness, and I began to doubt if the expedition would ever leave the Cape.
I accordingly sailed in the ‘Julia’, having with me stores and 3 mechanics, Ogle, an English­
man, a Prussian and a Frenchman; Michael, a Hottentot servant and Frederick, an interpreter.
We anchored early in the morning of 10th March, 1824, opposite to where the present
Customs House stands. On landing there with provisions and bedding we strolled about the
Khangela flat to select a spot for building. We selected a hollow to protect us from the winds,
and soon went to sleep, but at midnight a storm broke over us. Sleep was impossible and we
were further surprised by the howling of wolves, who in defiance of the fire and our yells,
approached and stood before us. We had not brought firearms, and we had no better mode of
defence than by standing back to back with firebrands in our hands. One of the wolves seized
Ogle’s leather trousers in which he had a Dutch 60 dollar note. He caught hold of the band as
the wolf was dragging them and recovered one of the legs. They regularly besieged our position,
and we expected to be torn to pieces. We had scarcity of fuel, and smoke almost blinded us. We
talked and Ogle sang songs at intervals. When day had fully dawned we put up a signal for a
boat, and on its arrival we returned to the vessel. After having breakfast we proceeded to what
is now known as Cato’s Creek. The Town Hall of Durban now stands in that spot.
I now, however, selected a spot opposite the present church of St. Paul’s in Durban, where
the present railway station stands. To guard ourselves from a similar disturbance from the
wolves, we had taken with us a mainsail. Of this we formed a tent. We chopped down bushes
and fortified ourselves with a strong fence. The mechanics assisted by the crew of the vessel,
were set to work to cut timber and build a 12 foot square house of wattle and daub.
I immediately decided on commencing my journey in search of Shaka’s residence. Prior to
leaving, I marked out the house that was to be begun in my absence on a spot which is now
within the market place of Durban, and about 200 yards in front of the door of St. Paul’s
Church.
After travelling about 3 miles we crossed the Umgeni river with Crocs, and sea-cows in great
numbers. On the following morning we proceeded until we reached the Thongati River, some
25 miles from the port, where we found a native kraal of 7 huts. Siyungila, the owner of the
kraal, presented me with a cow for slaughter. He had but two.
While my communication with these people was going on, another dense column of armed
warriors came from the direction of the port. Every other hut was pillaged. Numbers came to
the kraal where I was, demanding grain. The headman placed himself at the gate telling that
no-one must enter where the King’s white man was resting. Five children were devoured.
I was requested by Siyungila not to proceed further until Shaka had sent to express his
wishes, seeing that he, Siyungila, had sent messengers to report my arrival. A party of about 30
23
 Farewell's camp also by J . P! Hoffman, 1824.1. Kraal for cows. 2. Hut for 4 Hottentots. 3. Dwelling of Farewell and Petersen. 4. Kraal for sheep.
5. Dwelling for Josiah Hoffman and his son Jo sia s Philip. 6. Guard tent. 7. For crew of the 'Ju lia'. 8. Dwelling for whites of the party. 9. Hut of
C. Zink. 10. Pantry and kitchen. 11/12. Hut of Jan, Will and little dog.

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now arrived from him with a present of cattle, oxen and milch cows, that my people might not
starve, also 7 large elephant tusks, with the assurance that Shaka was much pleased at my
coming to his country, but that he would not be prepared to see me until after his army had
rested from their recent wars with Faku, king of the amaMpondo. Two native fishermen from
the port now brought a letter informing me of the arrival of Lt. Farewell and his party. I
thereupon returned with my cattle and ivory.
Lt. Farewell and his party consisted of 30 persons. We were thus 35 in number. Farewell,
Petersen and Hoffman shared in superintending the men employed on the temporary buildings
and a day was now set apart as a holiday when the British Ensign was hoisted. Two cannon
which we had brought with us were fired, also small arms. Formal possession was taken of the
Port of Natal with its surrounding unoccupied country.
Shaka’s uncle, Mbikwana, with about 100 followers, then came to the port to say the King
was prepared to see us. On arriving at the Umgeni, much time was lost by Farewell persisting
in our searching for gold in the river, but what were deemed to be indications of gold proved
to be nothing but mica.
I may at once state that the distance from the port to Shaka’s residence was 200 miles, and 13
days. A messenger desired Mr. Farewell and myself to advance. On entering the great kraal we
found drawn up within it about 80 000 natives in their war attire. Two oxen were slaughtered
for us and messengers requested I go to Shaka. I was led into the seraglio where I found him
seated in a carved wooden chair and surrounded by about 400 girls.
The following day had been appointed by Shaka for receiving our present. It consisted of
every description of beads at that time procurable in Cape Town. There was a great variety of
woollen blankets and a large quantity of brass bars, sheets of copper, pigeons, a pig, cats and
dogs, and a full dress military coat with epaulettes covered with gold lace. We saw clearly that
he was satisfied. He was especially interested in the pig till it got in the milk stores.
On the 6th day we informed Shaka of our wish to return to the port. He at once assented,
though only on the condition that I should remain with him. I was not only willing but
desirous of seeing as much as possible of this new country.
Mr. Farewell and Mr. Davis arrived on another visit to Shaka. Shaka now made a grant of
land to Mr. Farewell who drew up a document in connection therewith. The grant extended 50
miles inland, 25 miles along the coast and included the harbour of Natal.
On the following day after our arrival back, possession was taken in the name of His
Britannic Majesty King George IV, of the land at Port Natal and inland thereof, four six-
pounder rounds of ammunition and 20 of musketry being fired to celebrate the event.
For many days after this I resolved to visit a people we had heard of as living to the westward
of Natal, called the amaMpondo. The situation was quite unknown to me which accounts for
taking provisions for only 4 days. They were exhausted after the fifth day and we went back to
Natal.
On the second journey to the westward I was accompanied by Mr. W. H. Davis while his
sloop was being cleaned for her next voyage, Joe (one of Mr. Farewell’s servants) and 2
Hottentots.
When preparing supper on the first night we found the carriers had eaten our 10 lbs. of
biscuits . . . . we had just crossed the Umzimkulu or Bloody River when the interpreter
informed us that the women with the whole of our rice, sugar and tea had disappeared. This
misfortune left us entirely without provisions. At Umthentu we fed on mussels and slept in a
cave among the rocks. We were greatly fatigued and our horses were completely knocked up;
moreover our feet and legs were swollen in consequence of our shoes having quite worn out. We
could proceed only at a very slow rate. The following day we made our breakfast off oysters and
following some cattle tracks we came in sight of three kraals.
I told the people of the kraal, the amaNtusi, that the object of our coming was to open a
trade in ivory with their people. My first step was to send messengers to their king, Faku, who
lived 30 miles further on to inform him of our object and of my intention of returning to Natal
before I could pay him a visit.
We resolved at once to start on the return journey. After many days with no supplies of any
kind procurable, and the roots the natives lived on so bad we could not manage to eat them, we
were in an extremely weak and famished condition. All were greatly surprised on seeing us
again as they had long given us up for dead.

After resting a few days in Natal I went off again to Shaka, business being my object. In a few
days I returned to Natal and from thence went off again to the amaMpondo. Having taken
every precaution in the way of provisions and other respects, I reached the amaNtusi tribe
without diffculty. I then proceeded to King Faku’s kraal where I was accused of being employed
by Shaka as a spy, but at length the charges were dropped. I presented the beads and returned
to the amaNtusi to set up there a trading store for the purchase of ivory.
I resided with the amaNtusi tribe for about 4 months and was reduced to the necessity of
wearing skins. Nine months had now elapsed since I left Natal. A few days later a letter arrived
from Mr. Farewell to inform me that Shaka’s spies were in my neighbourhood, that Shaka
frequently enquired after me, and that he intended to attack the amaMpondo. I therefore
returned to Natal.

25
HART OF PORT NATAf.

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* .«

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ï r *
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'-«*5$L- «f

«r
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JánA*r/ (h**Mtt<
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Durban Bay. painted by L. Cloete. who came from a distinguished local family.
 After remaining in Natal a few days in order to rest, I again visited Shaka. I was much
gratified at the kind manner in which he received me. When he heard that the ivory I had
purchased from the amaMpondo had been left there, he accommodated me with 60 men to
bring it to Natal.

1826 I next returned to Shaka’s kraal in May 1826. Messengers arrived to call all hands, white as well
as black, to resist an attack. We were aware that by complying we would be violating the laws of
our country, but on the other hand we dreaded the consequences that might ensue from
refusing. The whole nation had been called to arms; the body of men, boys and women
amounted, as nearly as we could reckon, to 50 000. After several days spies found the enemy on
the opposite mountain. The king advised us to go back as, the ascent being difficult, the regi­
ment would leave me a long way behind.
The battle, from the commencement to the close, did not last more than an hour and a half
with the enemy’s loss the more severe.
We accordingly left Shaka and went to Natal on 6th October, 1826. The schooner ‘Anne’
arrived from Algoa Bay with Mr. King and Mrs. Farewell on board. She was the first lady
Shaka ever saw and he determined to seize her and make her his wife. Fortunately Lt. Fare­
well heard of this, and in the dead of night Mrs. Farewell, dressed in men’s clothes and under a
a sufficient escort, rode away from the laager as hard as possible to a place of safety.
It was not long before remains of 4 tribes, with their chiefs, amounting to more than 2 000 of
both sexes, came to live under me. Many had made their escape when at the point of being put
to death by the Zulus. By merely notifying such arrivals to Shaka, the refugees were allowed
to reside with us, a favour contrary to all former custom.
Messrs. Farewell, King, Isaacs, Cane and Ogle, as well as myself, have in this manner been
the means of saving the lives of hundreds of people. There are now more than 4 000 inhabi­
tants under our protection and our departure from the country would be the signal for their
immediate destruction.

My name, Fynn, had been converted into Sofili by the people in general. By this time I had
1827 acquired a thorough knowledge of the Zulu language, manners and customs, hence was able to
spend my time pleasantly with Shaka; he always demanded my attendance during his leisure
moments. Once he sent to Natal for a new frying pan. I attempted, at his request, to show his
maidservants how to fry beef-steak and pancakes.
The ship, afterwards known as the ‘Elizabeth-Susan’ was in such a bad state of construction
that a youth, John Ross, of about 15 years of age, made the journey on foot to Delagoa Bay for
the purpose of obtaining medicine. It was 300 miles there and back. Shaka provided the escort
and after a few weeks Ross returned safely.

1828 On 24th September, Shaka was killed. There is little doubt that the intention of killing had
been long in contemplation. Dingane and Mhlangana and Mbopha, sons of Sithay, a Zulu
chief and principal servant of Shaka, were the three conspirators who put him to death.
The two brothers took a circuitous route to come to Shaka’s kraal. Shaka had only time to
look round and seeing them exclaimed “ What is the matter, children of my father?” when
Dingane stabbed him. He then threw the blanket from him and taking the assegai from his side
fell dead near the kraal gate.
The body of Shaka remained all night in the spot where he fell. A piece of dress worn behind
was cut off and put in his mouth to repress his anger when he became a spirit. This being done,
the assegai was taken from his hand, his personal property was all collected, amounting to
several tons of beads, brass and various other articles. A grave was dug, his mat was laid down,
his head placed on his pillow, his blanket over him and his property by his side.
Mbopha now set on foot an expedition against Ngwadi who as his warrior name had
assumed um-George after our sovereign George. He, as a son of Nandi, would no doubt have
aspired to succeed Shaka. The inhabitants of his kraal swore (like Britons) to die ‘by George’
for their king and in action they were all completely annihilated. This effectively removed every
obstacle that stood between Dingane and his assumption of sovereign power.
The Zulu nation is composed of a multitude of tribes. These were combined by Shaka into a
single nation which he alone had the ability to control. Under Dingane a number of the tribes
became insubordinate, he being regarded as having no claim on their allegiance.

Lt. Farewell happened at this time to come overland on his return to Natal having visited the
1829 colony shortly after the death of Shaka to arrange his affairs. He had with him several wagons
laden with goods and was accompanied by Thackwray, Walker and Cane, also some Hottentots
and Native servants.
Want of oxen as well as provisions caused him to pay Ngetho, leader of some rebels from
Zululand, a visit. In addition he took with him a certain native boy, son of a Zulu spy, sent to
keep an eye on Ngetho. They had no sooner entered the Kraal than the identity of the boy was
discovered. In addition, Ngetho knew that the principal portion thereof which Farewell was
transporting was for Dingane, his enemy.
The following morning Ngetho’s regiment attacked Farewell and party by surrounding the

27
Birth of Natal, by R. Caton
Woodville, famous artist
of the South African War.
Farewell and Fynn,
wearing the high butterfly
collars and heavy suits
they wore for all their
travels, are shown
conferring with Shaka for a
grant of land at Port Natal.

tent and, after cutting the ropes, proceeded to stab to death Farewell, Thackwray and Walker
through the canvas after the tent had collapsed. A strong force was then sent to loot the wagons
and take whatever could be carried off.

After Shaka’s assassination, Dingane carried on no trade other than with natives from the
neighbourhood of Delagoa Bay, nor did he receive presents of European goods except such as
were sent by the Portuguese. Mr. N. Isaacs arrived in Port Natal in an American brig command­
ed by Capt. Page and owing to an intimacy that had already grown up between him and myself,
we entered into partnership with every prospect of our commercial ventures being successful.
These favourable expectations would probably have been realised except that false information
maliciously communicated by Jacob, a native interpreter, to Dingane produced a remarkable
change in the King’s attitude to the European settlers. Dingane suspected every white man in
the country of being actively disloyal to him. He felt he could trust none of them, not even
myself - in fact I was to be more feared than the others as I had been a close friend and favourite
of Shaka.
He set about manoeuvring, in various ways, to render fundamentally insecure the position
of the settlers in the port. In such circumstances it became practically impossible any longer to
carry on trade in the country.

1831 We soon got to hear that a force was on its way to attack Cane and official warning was sent to
him beforehand. It was naturally concluded that the despot’s intention was not only to destroy
Cane, but every other settler at or near the port as well. I accordingly made hasty preparations
to fly south-west with my people, taking care to advise other such settlers as happened to be at or
near the port.

28
 In a day or two, hearing that the Zulu force had withdrawn, we returned to the Port (April
24th 1831). It was decided that there was nothing else to do,but to withdraw for a time from
Natal. As our property was in a very scattered condition, time was necessary for collecting it and
generally winding up our business. It was decided by way of gaining time to send a message to
Dingane boldly informing him of the brig ‘ St. Michael’ being in port, and of the intention to
leave the country as we felt we could no longer confide in him or his people. A few days later
messengers arrived from Dingane to me assuring me to be in no apprehension for my safety in
the future, but we must send all black men who were trained to arms against Mzoboshi who had
formerly sought leave to live under us on the coast near Ilovu river.
On my arrival the king greeted me kindly and was much pleased with the presents. He only
gave me about 2 600 lbs. of ivory and 20 head of cattle. I remonstrated with him to convince
him of the impossibility of the vessel returning as he wished unless he was more generous. He then
said “ I do not wish the vessel to return. You are never satisfied. Now I am convinced that you
white people are tired of me. I shall, therefore, not expect a vessel in future but depend entirely
on any trifle that you may pick up.”
Jacob now reported to the King that white people had taken native land and had repeatedly
taken more land as well as cattle, that they would build a fort and subdue the Zulus and keep
driving them further back, as they had driven the frontier tribes. I declared the whole to be a
tissue of falsehoods invented by the interpreter himself.
The next day we started off on our journey back to Natal; my brother, William, however,
stayed behind to take note of any movements in connection with ourselves. In the meanwhile,
Kelimba, a chief under my protection, warned me he was being coerced in a plot against me and
that there was a plot to kill all and not leave one to tell the story.
I sent a note to my brother, William, begging him to follow as speedily as possible as I saw no
prospect of our remaining any longer at Natal. My brothers, William and Francis, left Natal
with part of the men and women, seventy in number. We reached the Umzimbuvu early in July
after a wearisome journey of 25 days.
The Pondo chief, Faku, was at a loss how to treat us and consulted Mr. Boyce, the missionary
in charge at Bunting. Mr. Boyce not only assisted us to the utmost of his power but strongly
advised Faku to do likewise. The result was we were soon rehabilitated and in a position to
think of returning since Collis, with a small party of Englishmen, passed on their way to settle
permanently, and a letter arrived from Cane, who had hid in the bush for 3 months, saying that
the expected attack turned out to be an alarm of our own.

1832 There were Cele refugees under my care. On taking leave of Dingane he ordered me to proceed
home and kill them alleging they had been guilty of witchcraft. A severe argument ensued in
consequence of my refusing, till at length the outrageous passion he evinced compelled me, for
my own welfare, to submit and undertake to have them killed. I deluded myself with the hope of
disposing of them, without murdering them, proposing instead to supply them with corn, and to
send them to live in the vacant country lying south-west.
On a more due consideration of the improbabilities of their leaving their families, I deter­
mined to confer with the other Europeans at Port Natal. As, however, there were but three at
the port, Collis, Cane and Ogle being absent, I deferred the question till more persons should be
present.
There were not less than 3 or 4 000 natives under the protection of the Europeans in Natal.
The number of British settlers was slightly augmented by the arrival of the Cawoods (James
and Joseph S.) together with wives and families who came with the object of establishing a
system of commerce by collecting ivory, hides, horns, etc.
The Government now arranged with Dr. Andrew Smith, the medical officer at the Cape
Town garrison, to pay a visit to Natal as well as Dingane, with the view of obtaining reliable
information as to the capabilities of Natal, etc. Proceeding overland he reached Port Natal on
25th March. The information obtained by him was to be of great value to the Government
when they petitioned William IV to take measures for the occupation of Port Natal and the
depopulated country in its vicinity.
It is my opinion, in our present situation, that there ought only to be 3 to 4 families at Natal;
if much above that number, the Zulus will and must look on us with suspicion, unless some
authority is sent from the Colony to bring our Government and the Zulu Chief to some kind of
understanding. Dingane has been told these five years that an authority was coming to him
from Government. It, however, does not seem that Government will trouble their heads with
this place till they find that it must ultimately be so, when perhaps not with the same advantage
as at present. . . .”
. . . Now the first hand story o f the settlement comes to a close with the abrupt ending o f the
diary, all the more surprising because Fynn continued writing exhaustive notes on Zulu history,
geography, language and customs.
The following fe w years are dominated by the despotic severity o f Dingane, and treachery and
Photographs by courtesy of intrigue against the white settlers. In 18 38 the Voortrekkers opened up communication with
the Local History
Museum. Durban and the
Dingane direct. The fa r reaching effect o f this changed the character o f the Port from a settlement
Natal Archives. to a Colony>,and N a ta l was to become o f ever increasing importance in the eyes o f the British
Pietermaritzburg. Government in the following decades.

29
A. R. Kemp

Clay U riah Manufacture

in Snath A frica
T h ree M 29 0 labour-saving bricks.
The history of brickmaking can be traced to the dawn of
civilisation, and there are records of brick usage over
thousands of years. The fact that the clay brick has been,
and always will be, a basic building material relates to its
superior qualities, which include:
* Aesthetic appeal, effective either in a new situation or
through harmonious blending with an existing
environment;
* Durability;
* Insulation properties relating to heat, cold, moisture,
noise and fire;
* Low initial cost with no subsequent maintenance costs;
* Strength, which permits the economic construction of
loadbearing structures.
Perhaps the virtues of the clay brick were best set out
by Sir Charles Lyell in his “ Antiquity of Man” when he
wrote “ granite disintegrates and crumbles into mica,
quartz and feldspar (the base of clay); marble soon
moulders into dust of carbonate of lime; but hard well-
burnt clay endures forever in the ancient landmarks of
mankind.”
Let us look now, in brief, into the brickmaking industry
in South Africa in order to show that, like the brick
itself, it will “ endure forever” .
In 1973 and early 1974 the building industry in general
was very active, representing a cyclical upsurge of
activity as compared with the preceding rather depressed
period during which Coronation Brick (Pty) Ltd., in
Durban, manufactured more than 50 million bricks and
put them into stock. Soon after this upsurge started there
were, in many parts of South Africa, reports of a brick
shortage. Protracted delivery schedules were quoted, and
the brickmaking industry generally was criticised for not
having provided new manufacturing facilities prior to
the business upsurge so that orders could be executed
without delay.
Currently, the indications are that building activity is
now on a down-turn, so that, once again, brickmakers
may have to curtail manufacture or to manufacture for
stock.
The customers’ criticism of the lack of entrepreneurial
enterprise on the part of the brickmaking industry is
unjustified. In the first place, a scarcity of valid statistical
information on the cyclical trends of the building
industry made it difficult to forecast, and thus to provide
for, future volumetric brick requirements. This
deficiency, however, is now being overcome, through the
efforts of various bodies motivated by, amongst others,
the Master Builders Association. In addition, the
Coronation Group is setting up a statistical research
office.
Secondly, the brick industry has been price controlled
since 1963, and until early 1972 the application of this
control was on a basis that made further investment in
the industry unattractive. In brief, selling prices were
based on the assumption that maximum production and
maximum sales were achieved - a state of business
activity seldom enjoyed for any length of time - and were
then calculated so as to earn profits before tax at a
prescribed rate of return on the capital employed. In
calculating this capital, fixed assets were included at the
written down book value. With better alternative
investment opportunities on offer, it is not surprising
that investment in new brick factories was minimal.
Since 1972, however, there has been a much more
realistic approach by the authorities in applying price
control, and it is expected that in the very near future it
will be applied to encourage growth of the brick industry
on a basis of sound economics so that it may play its
proper part in the development of South Africa. In
anticipation of this realism and also to serve the building
industry efficiently, the Coronation Group has expanded
its manufacturing facilities in Natal in particular. Three
new factories have been built:
* at Avoca, near Durban, to produce face bricks;
* at Empangeni, to serve the developing Richards Bay
complex and other Zululand towns in the heart of
KwaZulu;
* at Northfield, adjacent to Glencoe in Northern Natal,
to serve that growth area which includes Newcastle,
Ladysmith, Dundee and Vryheid.
The new Northfield factory
The Northfield factory came ‘on stream’ on 15th
November, 1974, and as the latest production unit in the
Group a brief description will be of interest.
It is sited on the Northfield colliery adjacent to the
area from which it extracts raw material. The mined clay
is fed by front-end loaders into box feeders and is
blended accurately to overcome variations in the raw
material and to control the rate of feed to the manu­
facturing process. The blended material is watered,
worked through a trough mixer and reduced to the
required particle size through a set of refining rolls.
It is then passed through an extruder which ejects a
continuous ribbon of clay onto a cutting table where a
revolving cutter fitted with wires stretched across the
frame cuts individual bricks. Each circular movement of
this unit cuts 16 bricks, and gives the bricks the trade
name of ‘wirecut’ . The cut bricks then move along a
conveyor belt and are manually removed and stacked
into ‘bundles’.
For some years Coronation has been studying methods
of mechanising the arduous tasks of setting and drawing
bricks by hand, and has now developed a system using
fork lift trucks which is largely adopted in all the new
factory designs. The vital mechanism of holding bricks
without the use of a pallet consists of pneumatic rubber
tubes fitted onto the tine forks of the trucks. When
inflated these tubes grip the bottom course of bricks and
the remainder of the load is carried across the tines. The
base of the hand-stacked ‘bundles’ is designed so that
the forklift tines can be inserted and the bundle of bricks
can be mechanically handled during all the subsequent
stages of transportation in the production process.
Bricks, at this stage of production, are known as
‘green’ bricks, and have a water content of about 20% by
weight. This must be removed before firing, so bundles
of green bricks are placed in drying chambers. Waste
heat from the kiln is introduced into the drying chamber
and is circulated by electric fans which move backwards
and forwards in the chamber on fixed tracks. The drying
rate is controlled by the volume and temperature of the
hot air, and is adjusted to ensure that the bricks have
completed their shrinkage before being fired. The
importance of this drying procedure cannot be over­
stressed, and from each 1 000 bricks dried, over 500
kilograms of water has to be removed.
Dry bricks are transported by forklift truck to the kiln
where they are packed and sealed into chambers, each
containing some 30 000 bricks. The continuous kiln, i.e.
where the fire is never extinguished, has a travelling fire
so that the dry green bricks are subjected to three main
heat periods. First is the preheating or warming period,
second the full fire period when the temperature is
increased to a pre-determined maximum of 1 000 C,
and lastly the cooling period.
While the bricks are cooling they act as a pre-heating
3i
An extruded column being cut into bricks.
unit for the combustion air flowing through the fired
chambers to the main fire. After cooling, the ‘wicket’, or
kiln door, is removed to allow combustion air to enter the
kiln, and soon the bricks are ready for drawing. All these
kiln operations are under the constant control of thermo­
couples which record the chamber temperatures and
dictate the adjustments which need to be made. At the
end of the process we have a burnt brick ready to be
used for building.
The metric brick
The bricks so far referred to have been the standard or
imperial brick, which used to be 9 x 4 } x 3 inches. With
the advent of metrication in South Africa, the accepted
size of this brick has become 222 x 106 x 73mm. It may
be remembered that at the time of metric size conversion
there was an endeavour on the part of the authorities to
introduce a smaller brick 215mm long, on the grounds
that this would conform to the requirements of
modular co-ordination in the building industry. In brief,
such modular co-ordination requires building compo­
nents to conform in size to a module of 300 mm. This
smaller brick would have done this, in that four bricks
laid on end with 10mm joints would give an overall
length of 900mm - or three times the 300mm module.
However, because of an inevitable increase in the cost of
laid brickwork arising from the use of a smaller brick, the
‘modular metric’ brick as then conceived has not been
introduced. Instead, the Coronation Group has pioneered
32
the introduction and acceptance of a larger one, common­
ly known as the M290, the size of which is 290 x 90 x
90 mm.
In the Empangeni factory this M290 brick has been in
production for some time and has become popular with
cost conscious builders, who appreciate the reduction in
the cost of laid brickwork which arises from using a larger
brick unit. In addition, it is still of a size and weight that
allows it to be handled and laid within traditional brick —
laying techniques. The M290 will also be produced at
the new Northfield factory, whose office block has been
built with them as a permanent demonstration of their
usage and acceptability.
At present, although the M290 falls within the scope of
the relevant SABS specification, its use has not been
written into the South African Standard Building
Regulations, although it is anticipated that they will be
changed to include its use. Many municipalities have
already exercised their discretionary powers and have
authorised the use of this product in the areas under their
control.
Factors in relation to the future of the industry
The future of the brick industry is regarded as secure,
but the usage of alternative materials to the brick has to
be closely watched, particularly in the current climate of
economic stress and housing shortages, when the long­
term quality advantages of a well burnt clay brick may
be traded for short term financial gain. In this context
Bricks taken from the kiln are ready for delivery.
those responsible for major building projects -
particularly for low and medium cost housing - should
keep the concept of the total cost of ownership in mind
when approving schemes and adjudicating tenders,
rather than the present concern for initial capital cost
only. This would mean taking into account future
maintenance costs which have to be met after the
building has been taken over by the owner, who could be
a private individual, government department, quasi­
government organisation or municipal authority. In
addition, environmental and aesthetic appeal should also
be of prime concern.
Another factor of interest in relation to the future of
the brick industry is the present constraint on the
number of bricks it is capable of consuming for
completed dwellings because of the shortage of skilled
men and the reluctance of young Europeans to enter
the bricklaying trade. This constraint encourages the use
of alternative materials, some of which can be put into
position by unskilled labour. This does nothing to pro­
vide better employment opportunities for the new and
more sophisticated yearly entrants in the labour market.
The plea of the brickmaking industry is that statutory
restrictions on the use of labour for bricklaying be lifted
to permit the industry to provide better employment
opportunities.
The industry feels that job reservation should go —so
that any person can become a bricklayer and be paid at
rates commensurate with his skill and output. In African
areas this has already been realised. In Kwa Mashu and
Umlazi, for instance, gangs of eight African bricklayers
under European supervision, constructed houses of
burnt brick with external cavity walls at the rate of one
superstructure per gang per day. With funds and
opportunity, massive inroads could be made into the
chronic shortage of housing on such a basis, especially
for the lower income groups, who would be provided
with aesthetic quality houses with minimum mainte­
nance costs.
This plea on job reservation removal does not include
the opening of the bricklaying trade to untrained people.
On the contrary, the South African Brick Association has
proposed a training scheme to the Government to
provide trade tested bricklayers. The scheme would be
administered by the Government with the co-operation
of the building industry for a series of ‘sandwich’
courses with both on and off site training. It is to be
hoped that in the interest of those needing homes that
this scheme, or something akin to it, will receive official
support.
In conclusion, we may summarise that the building
industry is virile and forward looking. It is making plans
to participate effectively in the development of South
Africa and also to ensure that future generations are able
to enjoy and benefit from the ageless beauty of the burnt
clay brick.
33
M aurice Calvert-Evers

,ed training in textile technology^® pr<

In spite of spiralling raw material
costs, increased wages and other
inflationary cost escalations, the South
African Textile Industry was happily
riding the crest of full production
and satisfactory profits during the
first two quarters of 1974. With
dramatic suddenness they now face
the grim reality of a severe downturn
and a flood of cancelled orders
from the clothing sector. Why?
During the first and second
quarters of 1974 many governments
took action to slow down inflation,
and this, coupled with the oil crisis,
led to economic recession, liquidity
problems, and high interest rates.
Earlier, countries like Japan had over­
reacted to the dollar crisis and
converted all their soft currency into
commodities, including large quanti­
ties of cotton lint and semi-processed
and finished textiles. As the world
demand for textiles dropped due to
the economic recession, the wide
awake Japanese were exporting stocks
at any price to maintain production
(which by the third quarter of 1974
had been cut back by some 40 per
cent), to stave off illiquidity and the
payment of high interest rates of up
to 30 per cent.
Japan, Germany and the United
States, faced with the prospect of
financing their overstocked inven­
tories at sky-high rates, determinedly
moved into any market showing
signs of life and offloaded at distress
or dumping prices. South Africa was
one of these markets. Official trade
figures show that in the first seven
months of this year the value of
textile imports rose 77 per cent to
just under R300 million. As prices
fell drastically during this period, it
is obvious that the physical volume of
imports rose dramatically. It would
appear that, tempted by give away
prices, the garment manufacturers
over ordered imported fabric and,
when the supply of credit tightened,
accelerated the cancellations flowing
into the South African textile
industry, thus forcing a cut back of
some 30 per cent in the production
capacity of the local textile industry.
Protective tariffs
In an effort to protect the local
industry, urgent representations were
made to the Government and it is
gratifying to record that when
Senator Owen Horwood, the Minister
concerned, became aware of the full
implications of the dumping and the
effect it was having on the industry,
rapid action was taken to introduce
duties. On September 20th, two
weeks after Gazetting higher customs
duty on imported woven clothing",
the Government announced in­
creased customs tariffs over a wide
range of fabrics in an effort to slow
down the massive importation of
low-priced fabrics, mainly texturised
woven polyester materials. Un­
fortunately the cotton textile
manufacturers of the heavier weight
fabrics (used mainly for casual wear,
jeans and furnishing fabrics) do not
benefit very much from the new
tariffs.
Representations have been made to
obtain some measure of effective
protection, especially against
countries such as Brazil, who receive
export incentives ranging from 20 to
30 per cent "in these categories.
It is not anticipated that the duties
already granted will have much effect
until the second or third quarter of
1975, after allowing for existing high
inventories to be depleted and the
resultant improvement in liquidity.
There is no reason why the
customs duties should result in
higher clothing prices as claimed by
the clothing manufacturers and
retailers. The material cost in fact is
only a small portion of the selling
price of a garment, and as many
retailers normally operate on a 100
per cent mark-up, the increased cost
should be absorbed fairly easily. It is
significant that during the buying
spree of the last few months, the
saving effected in purchasing cheap
fabric was not passed on to the
customer, but was retained, resulting
in soaring profits by clothing manu­
facturers and retailers. The retail
level in fact is still very buoyant and a
bumper Christmas was expected
in 1974.
In the meantime, the R450 million
Textile Industry does not expect to
see a recovery before the second
half of 1975. Hundreds of workers
have been laid off and there is a
strong possibility that thousands more
will have to be retrenched. Tremen­
dous stocks are being built up by the
textile industry as every effort is
made to contain costs and to avoid
extensive retrenchment. Skilled
operators are difficult to replace and
expensive to train, and their loss to
the industry inevitably means dis­
ruption to quality, productivity and
worker morale. There is also the
problem of liquidity brought about by
having to finance the gamble of
swollen stocks at high interest rates.
To add to the liquidity problem
there is the increasing pressure from
clothing manufacturers and retailers
to provide extended credit as they
in turn feel the effects of the credit
squeeze and the drying up of the
traditional credit sources.
There is danger, therefore, that the
South African textile manufacturers,
faced with the problems enumerated
above and in the face of a shortage
of storage capacity and the urgent
necessity to generate working
capital, may be tempted to find the
answer to the downturn by jobbing,
price-cutting and trading at a direct
loss. If the turnover has to be
maintained by using these methods it
can only lead to fierce competition,
as has been the case in the past. At
the same time, one cannot ignore the
fact that intensive efforts will
continue to be made by overseas
suppliers to sell at virtually any
price, especially at this time when the
alternative for many companies is
forced liquidation. A prime example
is the voluntary liquidation of
Sakamoto Spinners, Japan’s biggest
insolvency to date. The Japanese
Government has arranged for
special loans to help textile manu­
facturers ride out their current
difficulties and prevent wholesale
unemployment. It is not known to
what extent Sakamoto made use
of these facilities.
South Africa, as a member of the
General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade, cannot offer unlimited pro­
tection to its own manufacturers.
G A T T sets out specifically (under
Article ix) to achieve the ‘general
elimination of quantitive restrictions’ .
The threat of imports, therefore,
remains a problem. In some cases,
in spite of the new duties, fabrics,
such as the heavier weight cotton
fabrics, are still being landed at
prices lower than they were last year.
Although there is provision in the
Customs Act to take care of dumping,
it is completely ineffective, because,
one is advised, the authorities are
unable to implement these measures
due to a shortage of staff. There has
been a lot of criticism about the way
in which the duties were imposed.
Under normal circumstances the
criticism may well have been justified.
It is evident, however, that present
circumstances are anything but
normal. The textile industry, always
sensitive to changes in the economic
climate, is reacting sharply to world­
wide inflation, and the downturn is
threatening one of South Africa’s
most labour-intensive industries, an
industry that does more than any
other to provide employment in the
vital border areas. Taking into ac­
count the recent events outside South
Africa’s borders, it is apparent that
large scale unemployment could
35
have serious consequences for the
country as a whole.
Without adequate protection there
is very little incentive for the local
manufacturers to continue their
efforts to produce the wide range of
quality fabrics demanded by the
small, but highly sophisticated local
market at competitive prices. Given
the assurance of a steady demand it is
possible to improve productivity and
quality and attempt to keep prices
down. It should be borne in mind
that despite fears of a recession,
worldwide prices of finished goods
continue to rise, pushed by increasing
labour costs, while prices of raw
materials are falling. This has never
happened before. Local industry
should be encouraged to grow; as it
expands costs can be spread and con­
sumer costs contained in the long
run. One further factor making
protection necessary, is that the
Cotton Textile Manufacturers are
committed to taking up the total
South African grown cotton crop. In
past years this crop has averaged
about 80 ooo bales. This year, how­
ever, the crop will be ±200000 bales,
and one can expect a similar crop in
future. The price of this cotton,
when related to the world cotton
lint on offer, is considerably higher
and has to be absorbed by the local
manufacturers.
In the current economic climate
with the disadvantages enumerated
above, there has been a loss of con­
fidence by the industry and capital
expenditure is being withheld at the
very time when investment and
expansion is important to the growth
of the country and the opportunities
of employment that go with it.
Management and labour training
In addition to the problems ex­
perienced in the market place, rising
costs, and wage escalations, there is
another significant problem faced by
the local manufacturer, that of
trained textile staff. At the present
time there are no formal training
facilities available in South Africa,
with the result that nearly all manage­
ment is recruited overseas. Inevitably
this leads to problems due, not only
to the distance, but to the difficulties
experienced by the family adapting
to the South African way of life,
including the lack of certain amenities
such as T V for example. This
results in a high percentage returning
overseas within a short space of time.
When one realises that the first
duty of every executive is to ensure
the continued existence and sound
development of his company, the
36
necessity for having adequately
trained and capable successors to
senior management is apparent. In
the past the majority of the senior
management worked their way up
from the shop floor and relied solely
on past experience to reach decisions.
It is no longer adequate in this time
of profound economic change,
especially as change now moves
faster than ever before. If he is to
steer a successful course he must know
today what is going to be right and
needful tomorrow, and as such be
able to make recommendations
regarding the employment of capital
in new or replacement plant. A
forward looking executive can there­
fore no longer rely solely on past
experience to reach his decisions.
Neither are the facts of the present an
adequate basis. He must be able to
explore the probabilities of tomorrow.
This applies particularly to invest­
ment decisions as they have long­
term consequences and may even
determine a company’s fate. Every
executive depends on carefully pre­
pared forecasts to help him avoid
tmwarranted risks. Yet no amount of
forecasting can replace entre­
preneurial foresight. The intuitive
assessment of future prospects will
always be the secret of the successful
executive. Adequate and proper
management training will provide the
key to translating this intuition into
action.
It becomes apparent, therefore,
that there is an enormous need for
training right across the board, and
not only in the traditionally acknow­
ledged area of the black worker.
Training at the lowest level must
receive priority now, as, not only is it
virtually non-existent in its proper
form at most South African mills,
but without it one cannot achieve
productivity.
With adequate training such as
programmed instruction methods in
conjunction with closed circuit tele­
vision (audio visual) it has proved
possible to train textile operators to a
remarkable degree of proficiency in a
short space of time. If this labour
is properly used and plant replaced
with modern equipment when and
where necessary, it may be easier
than generally realised to obtain a
share of the world export market,
under normal trading conditions. In
addition it has been found that
proper training has had a marked
stabilising effect on labour turnover,
another of the difficulties generally
faced by the Textile industry. Only a
stabilised and well trained labour
force will be able to produce a
quality article that meets world
standards.
Unique advantages of cotton
There is another problem, although
fairly minor, which illustrates an
apparent communication gap between
the ultimate consumer (the garment
wearer), the buyer of fabric, (be it for
garment manufacturing or at the
retail level), and the cotton fabric
manufacturer, and this is the lack of
appreciation of the qualities inherent
in natural cotton goods. It is, as we
all know, cool and comfortable to
wear, especially in the South African
summer. Stains and odours are
readily washed out enabling the fabric
to regain its clean, crisp appearance.
The ultimate consumer (the garment
wearer) frequently complains to the
cotton textile manufacturer that pure
100% cotton fabric is difficult to
obtain. The buyer’s resistance to this
stems from a desire to follow over­
seas trends in providing for the
consumer’s needs, and, of course, the
accent is placed in countries like the
U.S. on easy care fabrics. Cotton
does crease. Cotton does need iron­
ing. However, there is no reason
generally speaking, why the South
African public should not enjoy the
comfort of cotton until such time as
we, in due course, can no longer
enjoy the privilege of a domestic
servant.
Summary of difficulties
To sum up briefly, the main difficul­
ties being experienced by the South
African Cotton Textile Manufacturers
at this time are:
1. Unreasonable competition from
imported fabric being dumped in
South Africa at very cheap prices.
2. The build-up of inventories by all
sections of the manufacturing
industry leading to
(a) drastic reduction in pro­
duction levels
(b) retrenchment of staff
(c) strained financial resources and
high costs as storage capacities are
pushed to the limit in an effort to
avoid further retrenchment.
3. A loss of confidence by the textile
manufacturer resulting in a drastic
cut back in capital investment.
4. The continued lack of confidence
and appreciation by buyers in the
local industry leading to frustra­
tion and eventual resentment by
those textile manufacturers who
are making every effort to contain
costs while providing variety and
quality, especially where a success­
ful export market has been
established.

5- Lack of adequately trained person­
nel aggravated by the fact that the
majority of the textile mills have
adhered to Government policy and
are situated in Border areas where
there are no training schools or
recreational facilities. This in turn
leads to a high turnover in staff of
all grades.
6. The commitment to take up the
full South African grown cotton
crop at above world prices. While
perhaps encouraging the farmer to
plant cotton and enable South
Africa to become self sufficient, it
does place an added cost burden
on South African produced fabric.
7. The continuing lack of apprecia­
tion of the qualities and advantages
in the South African climate of
100% cotton fabric due to the
trends in the outside world to
produce easy care blended fabrics
with better crease resistant
qualities.
Possible solutions
What then can be done to find an
equitable and acceptable solution to
these problems ? Some are obviously
short term, but others may require
deeper thought and continued
endeavour to correct the longer
term effects on this vital industry.
The following action is suggested:
1. Sufficient Government protection
in the form of adequate Customs
tariffs or, alternatively, the estab­
lishment of an import quota system
such as that successfully operated
by Britain and the United States.
2. Establishing a firm order book
situation to obtain maximum pro­
ductivity while keeping costs to a
minimum. This can only be done
by working closely with the buyers
and providing the fabric required.
To be able to do this the Textile
Mills must keep up to date with all
the latest developments in the
overseas fashion and fabric fields.
3. Proper pricing and price policy to
ensure adequate returns on invest­
ment. If the market segments are
correctly defined and the expected
returns on capital invested are
achieved it will encourage further
investments in replacing obsolete
or out-moded plant as well as ex­
pansion. This in turn not only
provides further employment
opportunities, but provides the
potential buyers with the fabric
they require at competitive prices.
Every effort must be made to enter
the export market to assist in pro­
viding longer production runs and
thus reducing costs.
4. Confidence can be generated in the
potential buyer by working closely
with him to fulfil his needs. At the
same time a reliable service must
be provided and quality standards
maintained. This requires the
willingness to co-operate on both
sides. Obviously, due to the in­
creased costs involved in producing
short runs, there may be some
reluctance in concluding business
where a higher price has to be paid
to obtain a confined range of
limited production runs. One has
also to overcome the very strong
preference for the imported item
by showing that our own industry
can produce goods of the same
quality.
5. The textile industry as a whole
must combine with the appropriate
authorities to provide adequate
training facilities. Alternatively,
attractive allowances must be made
by the Government to the private
sector to encourage the establish­
ment of these training schemes.
6. It may be in the national interest to
encourage our cotton textile in­
dustry to be self-supporting and
therefore to encourage the farmer
to continue to plant cotton. How­
ever, apart from adding to the
inflation within the country, it also
affects the potential export market.
In this case an export allowance,
such as that operating in Brazil,
should be made by Government to
the manufacturer concerned.
7. The potential buyer and the con­
sumer public should be made
aware, by suitable advertising and
public relations, of the advantages,
especially in South Africa, of
cotton. If necessary a national
body similar to the International
Cotton Promotion Council could
be formed to carry out this
function.
Conclusion
These suggestions certainly do not
provide an exhaustive list of the cor­
rective action that can be taken to
eliminate some of the difficulties
facing the South African cotton tex­
tile industry; and, in any event,
dynamic and unsettling changes are
taking place so rapidly throughout
the world that there is no single, con­
tinuing, solution to each problem.
Success will depend ultimately
upon the quality of management,
on the strength of industrial leader­
ship and on the entrepreneurial
ability of the industry’s trend setters.
37
COmPUTERS
Computers and The Tongaat Group
The Tongaat Group is a relative newcomer in the
computer field with the more experienced computer
users being the Sugar and Agricultural and Building
Materials Divisions. Both have a history of independent
computer bureau utilisation until late 1972 when a
Burroughs B 3 500 computer system was delivered to the
Group Computer Center in Briardene. This installation
is new and growing, and hopefully will become one of the
most useful and most used assets of the Group. Computer
usage quadrupled in the two years between November
1972 and November 1974, and it is expected that the
growth pattern will continue.
While mentioning computer growth, it is important
not to lose sight of the benefits which the Group
Companies should seek from their usage of this available
‘tool’ ;
* Reduced operating costs through smaller inventory,
fewer stock-outs and shortages, reduced time for
customer billing, reduced clerical costs.
* Better service for managers in the form of timely
reports for planning and control, and improved analysis
for decision making. This in turn provides an ability
to cope with operational growth and complexity.
* The mechanisation of routine clerical tasks reducing
dependence on people and lessening the quantities of
paper work.
* An improved image relating to customer service as a
result of faster delivery times, quicker response to
customer enquiries and improved accuracy.
* The ability to use sophisticated techniques involving
modelling and simulation which would be impractical
in error prone clerical tasks.
Current projects under development at the Computer
Centre include stores, accounting, transport and sales
applications, while future systems are in the pipeline for
an agricultural application for Tongaat Sugar and an on­
line order entry system for Coronation Brick. In addition,
critical path analysis work being run for United Elec­
tronics by an outside bureau, will be transferred to the
Group machine.
The most interesting potential application will be the
installing of computerised control within the Maidstone
tandem sugar mill. This will be a highly complex project
and our first step will be to capture information on current
processes within the mill. The terminology for this
exercise is ‘data-logging’, carried out by automatic data­
loggers, which can digitise analogue information from a
large number of inputs, and provide it for computer
analysis and display to the Systems Analysts and the
Factory Management. As well as mere information
capture, the data-loggers are capable of detecting and
warning on exceptional conditions for immediate action
by factory controllers.
Once plant data has been collected, analysis and
correlation can be performed on a separate computer,
and information such as the rate of change of one variable
in respect to other variables, and also time, will be shown.
Factory Management and the Systems Analysts will then
examine those relationships which were previously not
obvious or easily deduced. At this point OR (Operational
Research) techniques of simulation and optimisation will
give an indication of the benefits of computerised control
within the factory. Assuming that the cost/benefit analysis
is favourable, it will be for the implementation team to
prove the theory in practice.
Computerisation in everyday life
These current and projected applications, while providing
considerable company benefit and change in employee
working procedures, will be quite unapparent to the
normal South African in his everyday life. He is unlikely
to see any change in his life style brought about by new
technological achievements in the computer field for
several years to come. He will notice that the super­
market queues move much faster with the introduction of
laser beam scanners, which will add up the item costs
automatically as well as providing supermarket manage­
ment with re-stocking requirements. Less obvious will be
the typesetting by computer of the morning paper, or
that the freer flow of traffic through each city is affected
by computerised monitoring of congestion and control of
traffic lights. Banks and Building Societies will have
terminals for counter enquiry, and reservations for
airtrips and cinema shows through similar terminals will
be normal - as will long queues in the event of computer
failure! Air pollution will be computer monitored and
weather forecasts will be produced by analysis of
meteorological data collected from sub-stations connected
to a centralised computing source.
A recent development which captures the public
imagination is the attempt to create an artificial intelli­
gence by making computers play chess, not by analysis
of all possible moves, but by attempted simulation of the
human mind’s ability for natural selection or rejection
based on appraisal of a position. Recently a chess
tournament for computers was won by a Russian
machine, closely followed by a brace of American models.
The successful use of computers to solve inexact
problems in this way will open several new application
areas, and may well assist with a better understanding of
the workings of the human brain.
The human factor
The potential of the latest technology cannot be realised
without the analysts who identify and define the require­
ments, and the technicians who design and implement
the resulting systems. Already there is an inadequate
supply of competent staff and, world wide, too little is
being done to maintain and replenish the supply. New
technical specialities are emerging at a rate threatening
the ability of educational institutes and hardware suppliers
to train the people who require to understand and apply
them. Now, more than ever before, our ability to under­
take more ambitious projects and solve more complex
problems is limited by the difficulty of assembling an
adequate force of skilled manpower. The lack of skilled
people has been emphasised by the phenomenon of the
mini computer, which has undergone a marked reductior.
in price and improvement in performance. The resultant
demand for these machines in a variety of instrumen­
tation and control systems has caused an increased
requirement for skilled staff.
A problem additional to the required increase in staff
is that iterated by the Paul principle - “ Individuals
often become incompetent over time at a level at which
they once performed well, because they become ‘un­
educated’ (in this case technologically obsolete) for that
level” . Changes in job requirements occur frequently in
technically based occupational roles, and the analyst/
programmer who could be a successful ‘jack of all trades’
in the computer environment of the late nineteen sixties,
may well find himself inadequately equipped to handle a
more technically specialised role in a modern computer
installation. The provision of well designed and relevant
training programs can alleviate this problem in many
39
G roup employee learning to operate Console typewriter in enquiry mode at a computer bureau used by M . L . Sultan College.
cases, but the willingness to accept a change in working
practices does not always exist.
Certainly the people problem will plague the computer
industry for many years, and unfortunately the increas­
ing numbers of graduates in computer science does not
provide an adequate answer to the situation. The
theoretical knowledge, while a useful base, is not a
substitute for practical experience.
Increased job opportunities for Asiatics
The skills, disciplines and knowledge required of a
computer professional are increasing at such a rate that
the industry is finding it impossible to educate and pro­
vide experience for sufficient people to adequately
perform all the available work.
This lack of suitable staff is ensuring that job oppor­
tunities within the computer field are becoming available
for Asiatic and African staff. In 1971 probably all
computer operation staff were European, whereas today
approximately 65 % of installations are using Asiatic and
African staff as operators, and in many cases, in
supervisory positions. Currently The Tongaat Group
Computer Centre has 27 Group employees, of whom 13
are Asiatic and one African. The punchroom staff
including the punchroom supervisor are Asiatic, as are the
two computer operators.
There are three Asiatic programmers. One has been
employed as trainee programmer with no previous data
processing experience other than having attended
evening classes on Computer Science at the M .F. Sultan
College. She passed the computer manufacturer’s
aptitude test easily and it was felt that our current staff
strength was sufficiently experienced for us to provide
in-house training. While the computer centre policy
dictates that trainees will only be employed when we are
adequately staffed to give such education, it is unusual
40
within the computer industry for Asiatics to be given
such job opportunities without either prior experience in
the field, or proven service in other areas within the
Company.
The opportunities within programming and systems
work are, as yet, limited, but with people showing the
ability and drive to succeed, the situation is changing.
The wider choice of applicants for vacancies existing
in the computer job market is not likely to affect the
critical situation facing the data processing industry. The
lack of skilled staff is likely to become a more severe
problem, and the growth rate of computer technology
will at least continue at its present pace. Computer
personnel salaries will escalate, and senior staff will be
able to pick and choose their employers. No solution
exists for the industry, but a progressive approach to the
problem would be to:
* Encourage computer familiarisation education at
University, school and college, despite the inherent
lack of real commercial experience.
* Where the staff mix and projected workload of any
installation indicate the feasibility of hiring one or more
trainee programmers, then this approach should be
taken.
At all times it should be realised that it is more
important to raise the level of skills of the individuals
within the computer industry than to increase the
number of people. The Computer Society of South
Africa is taking this approach and is trying to ensure that
all its members are suitably qualified or are attempting to
gain suitable qualifications. While it is certain that the
number of vacancies in the computer field will not be
filled, every attempt should be made to ensure that those
vacancies which are filled go to competent and pro­
fessional people on a merit basis.
Collection Number: A1132
Collection Name: Patrick LEWIS Papers, 1949-1987

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Location: Johannesburg
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