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<strong>The</strong> Cantacuzene Period (1952–1965)<br />
paid labour (243 white, 663 black) or 39 t/a per man� By April 1959<br />
this had increased to <strong>50</strong> staff and 958 hourly paid labour (258 white<br />
and 700 black) or 61 t/a per man (in the year 2000 this was<br />
approximately 4<strong>50</strong> t/a per man)�<br />
Dr Fabio Fonda resigned at the end of February 1959 for personal<br />
reasons, and returned with his South African wife, Elizabeth, to SAICI,<br />
where he worked until his retirement in 1976, including a five-year<br />
spell in Brazil building and commissioning a nylon factory� After his<br />
retirement he worked as a consultant for the United Nations<br />
Industrial Development Corporation� Sadly, he died on 5 July 1994<br />
in an accident� Dr Fonda regarded <strong>Saiccor</strong> as his ‘baby’, with some<br />
justification, returning for his last visit while on holiday in 1962�<br />
Dr Ian (John) Mackenzie of Courtaulds took over as Technical<br />
Manager when Fonda left in 1959, but Ken Reed was elected to the<br />
management committee� Mackenzie was only elected in February<br />
1969� Norman Boulter, seconded from Courtaulds, became Assistant<br />
Technical Manager� Dr Renzo Mortarino was still Production Manager<br />
and Shift Superintendents (equivalent to Shift Managers) were Gino<br />
Rivetti, Alfonso de Faveri, Domenico Sabbatini and IA Schoultz�<br />
On the engineering side Tom Harman was still the Chief, or Plant<br />
Engineer, Viggo Melkjorsen was Assistant Plant Engineer, Paddy<br />
Brannigan (an Irish South African) was Mechanical Engineer, Graham<br />
Mortimer Electrical Engineer, Assuero Bramuzzo Services Engineer,<br />
and Maurice Hilcove Waterworks Superintendent�<br />
On Sunday 17 May 1959 the Mkomazi river burst its banks, flooding<br />
the <strong>Saiccor</strong> factory� <strong>The</strong> first sign of a problem occurred at around 5<br />
pm, when Maurice Hilcove raised the alarm that he was experiencing<br />
difficulties running the waterworks because of dirty river water� At<br />
that time the river level at the water intake was 1,2 m which was no<br />
cause for concern� By 6�30 pm the level had risen to 3,4 m, which was<br />
<strong>The</strong> Mkomazi River burst its banks in 1959 and the <strong>Saiccor</strong> factory was flooded<br />
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