Heritage Day: a day where we as South Africans celebrate the cultural wealth of our country as the “Rainbow Nation”, as well as our underlying unity.
At Swartland, we take this time to reflect on and celebrate our roots.
The Swartland story began in 1951 with Oupa Hanekom in the small town of Moorreesburg, which at that time was little more than a village amid the wheatfields north of Cape Town.
What started as a modest business supplying the local community with hardware and electrical goods soon grew to specialise in joinery, and began to blossom under Oupa Hanekom’s business savvy.
Several years later, Oupa Hanekom’s son, Jurgens, began to take an active role in the business. Jurgens brought a philosophy of continuous improvement to Swartland that encouraged quality advancements and an expanded product offering. Thereafter, the third generation of Hanekoms – Jurie, James, and Hans – stepped in. They embraced traditional values such as a strong ethic and pride in one’s work, combined with innovation and a forward- thinking approach to business.
The results speak for themselves: Swartland’s products are perfectly crafted, made to last, and are all leading products in their class, backed by knowledgeable national service teams.
From small beginnings in Morreesburg, Swartland now has operations in four provinces and Namibia, and exports to the UK and US. Swartland also owns the Boskor Sawmill in the Southern Cape, which supplies FSC-certified (Forestry Stewardship Council) pine timber. Swartland also manages its own distribution network with a fleet of c. 50 trucks, which can deliver to hardware retail chains around sub-Saharan Africa.
On 1 July 2022, the Hanekom family announced the decision to sell 100% of Swartland to Lonsa Everite for R1.3 billion. With well-known brands such as COL, Kenzo and Hydro, Swartland is a highly complementary addition to Lonsa Everite’s existing Nutec and AAC brands, and will significantly widen the Lonsa Everite offering of building material supplies.
We are proud of this achievement and even more proud of the business Oupa Hanekom established more than 70 years ago. As part of the transaction and transition process, the Hanekoms will stay part of the Swartland business for three years to ensure a successful handover to the new owners.
As we look towards the future, we’re excited to have joined the Lonsa Everite Group and are ready to start creating new opportunities locally and abroad.
Through it all, service and commitment to our customers will remain the focus as we continue building on our significant business relationships, ensuring that Swartland’s customers continue to “Experience Quality ” in every way.
We’re looking forward to the next decades of efficiency, innovation, customer service, and above all, ensuring our customers always have a quality experience. If you’d like to learn more about our ranges, click here.