The John Nightingale Sugarfest 2019

A memorable show honouring John Nightingale

Larry Bentley
This year, Sugarfest will be honouring John Nightingale, who passed away two years ago. He was the driving force behind the show and will be remembered for his dedication, attention to detail and his humour. Not much got him down. In honour of John the farming community have renamed the show ‘The John Nightingale Sugarfest’. One of his dreams was to move the show to Mtunzini and that has now been fulfilled by the new committee who willingly took the baton and ran with the organisation of the show. With Kathy Nightingale supplying all the vital information around past exhibitors, show ground layout and procedures, Hadn Percival, Andre Gouma, Barry Saville and Dirk Gouma took on the daunting task. What exhibitors and visitors to this year’s show will experience is the result of co-operation, support and goodwill built up over the years by John. Exhibitors play a large part and with their support, it is hoped that Sugarfest will meet all expectations on the business and social level.

What to see

There will be plenty to see at the sugar industry’s premier biennial show. Visitors will be able to interact with suppliers on a one-on-one basis and even open their ‘cheque book’, if so tempted. Vehicles on show include heavy transport vehicles, bakkies, motorbikes, tractors and trailers. To beat the drought there will be irrigation systems, pumps and sprayers. Tyres, implements, power tools, solar system suppliers and security companies will be introducing new technology. Fertilisers and expert advice on achieving the best crop possible will also be on show. Socially the boat stand should be of interest as well as the vintage tractor display. For the family a farmers’ market, kids’ zone, food and music will also be available throughout the day. The helicopter flips, from the adjoining heli-pad, will give show-goers an opportunity to see the region from the air. The show opens at 9am on both days.

A hive of activity and a splash of colour at a previous Sugarfest show at the old venue at the Amatikulu Country Club

The John Nightingale Sugarfest will be held on 3rd and 4th July 2019, at the new site in Mtunzini. The site is situated on the right hand side as you approach Mtunzini from the Mtunzini toll gate and will be well sign-posted. The possibility of moving the location of the show to Mtunzini, was discussed by John and Kathy shortly before John’s death, in September 2017. It was felt that there were benefits to be gained by this move, to both exhibitors and visitors.

Local institutions

The committee has given various charitable institutions and schools an opportunity to be involved in the show. The Mtunzini Rotary Club will be responsible for the food. There will be a Kidz Zone where children will be able to take part in creative activities including games and face painting while under supervision, and helicopter flips for those wishing to see the area from the air. Also a new addition, there will be a Farmers’ Market, where home-made goods will be on sale.

First timers

As well as the usual, regular exhibitors, whose continued support is greatly valued, the show has attracted many first timers. These include a number of Macadamia linked businesses. The Nightingale family will attend the show and will be responsible for the judging and presentation of the awards on Wednesday evening.

Entertainment

There will be live music on both evenings. Many meetings have been held over the past nine months, between the various representatives and the committee, in order to, hopefully, keep the Sugarfest up to John’s standards. Looking forward to welcoming everyone to the John Nightingale Sugarfest 2019!
Andre Gouma
Show Co-ordinator

A1 – Bullys Biltong /
Tapanga Rum
A2 – Caffe Primo
A3 – Alpha Security
A4 – Workwear Depot
A5 – Plan-a-Head
A6 – Isithebe Safety
A7 – Nu-quip
A8 – Manne wat Braai
A9 – Security Superstore
A10 – Sugarbytes
A11 – Zululand Nurseries
A111 – Growcane
A112 – Mayo Macs
A113 – Greenhouse
Technologies
A114 – Rapid Agriculture
A17 – Tuner Morris
A18 – Cutsmart
A21 – Hot Box
A22 – Eco Rubber
A23 – Maxidoor
A25 – Justa Pasta
A26 – Ancient Waters
A27 – Sugarcoast Motors
A28/53 – Ferobrake
A29 – Zululand Observer
A30 – Ngoye Farmers
A31/32 – Trelleborg Wheels
Systems
A33 – Tunnel Quip
A34 – Timax Agro
A35 – Farmers Agri Care
A36 – Zululand Nurseries
A47 – BK Energy
A50 – Ivy Invest
A68/68 – Powerstar
Empangeni
A74/75 – BPW Axles
A82 – Agri-Cropspray

B1/2 – Ritchie Motors
B3/4/5 – Bar
B6 – Food
B7/8 – Ritchie Motors
B9 – Wurth Tools
B11 – Agri-Services
B12 – Agri600
B13/14/15/19 – Inyanga Motors
B16 – Agri-Services

B17 – Cape Engineering
Innovations
B18 – SA Fire
B20/21/25/26 – Peter’s Tractors
B22 – BB Plant Hire
B23 – Gondaleo Trading
B31/32 – Rovic Leers
B33 – PSI Brokers
B34 – ZFC

B35 – McBeans
B36 – Eco Wholesale Diesel
B37/38 – Auto Enhance Richards Bay
B37/38 – LA Sports
B39/40 – Aqua Nyoni
B41 – Coastal Farmers
B42 – Kynoch
B43/44 – F.A.W.

C1/2/3/4 – Ritchie Motors
C5/6/7/8 – Mascor
C9 – Imperial Nissan
C10 – Butch Pike Sales
C11 – East Toyota, eShowe
C12 – PACsys, Tim Wise
C13 – Provincial Motors,
Richards Bay
C14 – McCarthy Toyota Empangeni
C15 – Desmond Equipment
C16 – Contourparts, Empangeni
C17 – Tangawizi Motors
C18 – Rhino Equipment
C19 – Reinke-SA Pivots
C20 – Powerstar, Empangeni
C21 – F.A.W.
C22 – BPW Axles
C23 – Tomcat Chippers
C24 – Drone Dusters
C32 – Hi-Q
C33 – Burquip

A – Magnis Trucks
B – Unicab
C – Oilco
D – Rapid Truck
E – Jubane

Another use of cane - Thinking outside the box

Larry Bentley
New to Sugarfest on Stand
A1 will be a very different
product.
Although it is very rooted in the
sugar industry, one can expect the
cry of the one-eyed, sabre-wielding
bandit of the seas, who, one is led
to believe, drinks copious amounts
of rum.
After four years of studying
the process, getting the legal
requirements sorted out and sending
samples to rum experts in the field
for advice, eventually Greg Hill of
the Zululand Distillers Company
bottled their first batch of Tapanga
Rum.
The distillery is situated at
Fairbreeze, near Gingindlovu and
produces white and gold rum in the
Rhum Africole style, a play on the
term Rhum Agricole.

Rhum Africole

Rum falls into two categories
namely Demerara Rum and Rhum
Agricole.
Demerara Rum is produced from
fermenting molasses, resulting in a
sweeter, rounder and usually darker
rum while Rhum Agricole (the
French term for this spirit, as it is
generally distilled on the Frenchcolonised
islands of the Caribbean),
is made
directly from
the sugar cane juice yielding a much
more vegetal, savoury and lighter
final product.
Tapanga has now started
marketing their rum and some
bottles are already on the shelves
in Makro stores and selected Tops
bottle stores.
Greg says they hope to develop
distillery tours and a tasting lounge
where visitors can sample some of
the cocktails produced by Mathias
Wessels.
Situated very close to the N2 at
the Fairbreeze turnoff, the distillery
is the perfect location for passing
tour buses which they hope to divert
for tours and rum tasting sessions.

The process

The raw sugar cane is taken from
the fields around the distillery and
crushed, usually in batches of two
tons, to separate out the sugar cane
juice from the solids, which are used
to create compost.
The crushing creates about 900
litres of liquid, which is transferred
to a fermentation tank where
rum yeast is added.
It is fermented at
temperatures between
24°C and 32°C for
four days.
It is then piped into the Germanmade
still, in batches of 300 litres.
This is heated, using steam from
a wood-fired boiler burning either
off cuts from the nearby forestry
plantation or alien invaders.
The steam is also used for making
essential oils, but that is another
story.
The heat causes the alcohols to
evaporate, starting with the lightest
alcohols such as methanol.
Since these are not suitable for
drinking, this ‘head’ fraction is kept
aside.

The heart of the rum

The usable alcohols are next, and
form the ‘heart’.
At a very specific temperature, the
distillation is stopped, with a small
portion of the last alcohols, or ‘tail’.
The small amount of tail is what
gives the rum its flavour.
The rest of the undistilled liquid is
used for fertiliser.
From here, the rum is handbottled
immediately in the case
of White Rum, or placed in oak
barrels to age for a minimum of four
months for the Gold Rum.
As the barrels are used, this
ageing time will increase making for
smoother tasting rum.
The Gold Rum gets all its colour
from the barrel-ageing, which also
makes it smoother.
At present, the still can produce
about 3 600 bottles a month.

Greg Hill next to the original prototype still used while developing Tapanga Rum

Greg Hill and Mathias Wessels in front of the still

In honour of "Clutch"

Paul Mannix
My introduction to ‘Clutch’ came about in 1994 when I called on John and Hugh
with a view to selling them a new tractor.
I remember John smiled and asked me, ‘What with?’ followed by that infectious laugh.
The formal side of the meeting was over and we settled for a cup of tea and a very typical laugh a minute bull dust session!
By the time I left, an hour or so later, I really felt like I had known these two men for years, such was the character of John in particular. Our lives crossed paths often over the next couple of years, and Debbie and I ate fairly often at Tamarin Lodge Restaurant where peri-peri chicken was pretty
much the order of the day!
So, when Debbie and I finally decided to tie the knot in January 1996, it was a no brainer and John and Hugh went out of their way to host one of
the best weddings I have been to in years. Clutch kept the bar open till the early hours of the morning before chasing a very inebriated Mike
Hubble, my brother-in-law Tony and my son Jason out of the pub at around 4am.

Re-birth of Sugar-Mech

John always made you feel as though you were his ‘bestie’ as he did with all his mates so it was no surprise to get the call, ‘Hey, Paulo, we are planning a revival of Sugar-Mech at the Polo Club in Ging! Are you in?’
How could you say no?
He was so flippen excited about the prospects of getting all his mates together for a ‘kyk weer’ of times gone by and the opportunity for exhibitors to display their wares. Clutch and Gossie’s enthusiasm was so infectious that we were all in ‘nomakanjani’!
Over the next six Sugar Fests, John made us feel as if we were a part of the organisation, shouting orders from the seat of his side-byside ‘sthuthu’ and offering
help when putting up and setting out our stands.
He always gave me a little bit of extra at our stand and allowed me to push the boundaries of my allocated area.
What a boykie! This was the beginning of a new era for the sugar industry, and I believe all of us.
Farmers and exhibitors alike have benefited from this great event over the past 14 years.

Move to Mtunzini

Strange, as it now seems, Clutch and I often talked about moving the show to Mtunzini citing easier access, available accommodation and centrality to the north coast sugar belt.
I could not have agreedmore, but the discussions continued without finality. That is until soon before
John’s untimely passing, he summoned me to his bedside and after a short, but positive laughter-filled chat he
brought up Sugarfest. He told me that plans to bring the show to Zini were well advanced and having had meetings with uMlalazi
municipal officials, was ready to start planning.
He made notes throughout our meeting. Even then John was excited at the prospect and all that he would be doing to make 2019 the biggest and best Sugarfest ever. We support you, my mate, and I know we will all contribute to make this ‘The John Nightingale Sugarfest’ the best ever in memory of an incredible human being.

Trailers now a core business

Lyndon Steenberg with a personnel carrier

Larry Bentley
What was started as a family farm business by Eric Steenberg in 1990, today Unicab continues to grow their product range.
Initially the company manufactured 47 different styles of fibreglass truck cabs for trucks ranging from five to 30 tonners.
In addition, Unicab supplied Mondi and Sappi with cabs for their exmilitary vehicles which were used for firefighting purposes.
As the business grew, the company moved into the eShowe industrial area in 1994 where it has continued to operate.
Eric’s son, Lyndon, developed a keen interest in engineering and spent many of his school holidays in the workshop.
At 19, Lyndon joined the family business and built up the engineering side of the business, concentrating on infield trailers and truck bodies, and phased out the firefighting trucks and fibreglass cabs.

Unicab’s trailer for long distance hauling

Shifting focus

Lyndon says it was a difficult move for the company, but they have persevered and now produce a range of custom made, sugar cane and timber in-field haulage trailers. Also, they have included a line-up of long-haul trailers which are manufactured using imported Swedish lightweight steel.
However, most trailer and truck components, such as suspension parts and axles, are sourced locally. Using lightweight steel allows for higher pay-loads which in turn, produce better delivery tonnages.
Lyndon says the company’s policy has been, and always will be, to build quality products.
This has paid off with the company becoming a major player in the haulage industry with orders coming in from neighbouring countries. Unicab has also supplied various government departments and municipalities.
The company’s latest project is the SABS- and Department of Transport approved personnel carriers, which include approved roll-over protection, brake tests, tilt angles, seats and safety belts. Also on their stock list are full length rigid draw-bar and interlink combinations for high speed long-hauling of timber or sugar. Besides the development and maintenance of new products, Unicab also re-builds and refurbishes used trailers.
Lyndon says that even though his father has retired back to the farm, he is still a source of knowledge which is tapped when needed.
Currently, Unicab supports a permanent workforce of approximately 30 people, including welders, spray painters, mechanics, assemblers, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. These employees, many of whom have been with the company for many years, have been loyal and Lyndon says without their personal inputs into the business, Unicab would not have been successful.
Lyndon is excited about the future and says the business is ready to face challenges with confidence. Unicab has, over the years, been innovative in the haulage industry and this gives them the edge in customising products for their clients’ specific requirements.
The Unicab Stand is ‘B’.