Bata´s business in the country began with the establishment of a sister company in 1931. In the 1960s, Bata´s organisation in the country developed footwear production and then ended its business in 1987.
- In 1926, the first consignments of footwear from Zlín were exported to Johannesburg. The export increased in the following years: 249,000 pairs (1928), 369,000 pairs (1931)
- On August 26, 1931 Tomas Bata registered Bata Shoe Co. Ltd., Johannesburg
- Between 1939 and 1940, the Baťa Company purchased 180 hectares of land in Newcastle, Natal, with the intention of further developing of the business
- Around 1947, the company owned a smaller shoe factory in Johannesburg
- 1962 –The South African Bata Shoe Company Limited (South Africa; formerly “Bata Shoe Co. Ltd.“) was in the register of Bata companies
- In 1966, Bata´s organisation revived business in the country; The shoes were manufactured at a new factory in Durban, another 4 factories were built or bought during the next 20 years; The number of Bata employees in the country grew to 3,500
- In 1987, the factories were sold and Bata´s business in the country ended (as the Canadian government´s attitude towards South African apartheid regime was negative, Bata Company with its seat in Toronto followed the official course of the country and terminated its activities there)
Sources:
- Tomáš J. Baťa, Švec pro celý svět, Praha 1991
- Bohumil Lehár, Dějiny Baťova koncernu, Praha 1960
- Jaroslav Pospíšil – Hana Pospíšilová, Rub a líc baťovských sporů, Zlín 2012, ISBN 978-80-7473-037-5
- Moravský zemský archiv v Brně – Státní okresní archiv Zlín, Česko