Saiccor - The First 50 Years 5.8 MB - Sappi

The Cantacuzene Period (1952–1965)
Consecration of the Catholic Church in Umkomaas, 15 August 1959 by
Archbishop Damiano� Those present included Fr Ceselin, the Italian
Consul, Michel Cantacuzene and Bill Hastie
at a competition in Port Shepstone in 1959� A combined Saiccor team
managed by Moses Magubane was a regular feature of the Durban Tattoo�
In 1958 Saiccor bought land from Illovo and supplied materials for
the Italians to build a Catholic Church� The church was completed
in 1959 and Father Ceselin moved in from Umzinto for the
consecration of the church on 15 August 1959� Father Ceselin has
been at the church ever since and has played a central part in the
community� Not only has he officiated at mass, weddings,
christenings and funerals, but he has attended all social functions as
a member of the community, being rewarded for his long and devoted
service by the Vatican promoting him to Monsignor�
Once the church was functioning, the school in Saiccor Village
closed down and moved to the church hall� The building vacated by
the school became the Clubhouse� By this time, however, there had
been an argument at the club� The Italians involved in the
disagreement were concerned that, as Saiccor management were on
the club committees, arguments at the club would reflect poorly in
their work situation� So they decided to build a club of their own�
The Club Communita Italiana was in use from 1963 and was, with
few exceptions, for Italians only� It certainly took business away from
the Saiccor Sports club, which slowly lost its appeal and became virtually
defunct in the early 1970s� The Italian club is still in existence, although
struggling, as the second generation Italians are more South African than
Italian, and the number of first generation Italians is diminishing�
Possibly unique in South Africa at the time, the banking hours
outside the banks in Umkomaas were also written in Italian� In every
shop it was essential to have someone who could speak Italian�
Umkomaas had certainly become a ‘little Italy’�
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