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Our Story
The Night Everything Changed
MAK Plastics was struck not once, but twice — two fires, two years running, at two separate Isithebe properties. Warehouses, machinery, and stock were lost both times. Years of work disappeared in a matter of hours.
17 Brown Street — 2018
MAK Plastics' warehouse at 17 Brown Street, Isithebe, was destroyed by fire in 2018. 80 staff based at this site were affected.
25 Brown Street — 2019
The following year, MAK Plastics' main operations at 25 Brown Street, Isithebe, were also destroyed by fire. 120 staff based at this site were affected.
Combined, 200 employees across both sites lost their jobs in the space of two years. It was a period defined by uncertainty and immense hardship — but it was not the end of the MAK Plastics story.
More Than a Factory
MAK Plastics was never only a collection of buildings and machinery. It represented employment, stability, and opportunity for hundreds of families. When the facility was lost, so too — for a time — was the livelihood it had built for the people who depended on it.
Refusing to Give Up
Despite the scale of the loss, MAK Plastics remained committed to rebuilding its manufacturing and recycling operations in South Africa. What followed was a determined, step-by-step journey back — not to what was lost, but to something stronger.
MAK Plastics and Polyco leadership together at the New Germany facility for the official commissioning.
A Second Chance
When Belief Became a Second Chance
"Polyco did more than provide funding. They restored hope and helped turn what seemed impossible into reality."
Polyco became one of the defining moments in MAK Plastics' journey. They did not simply provide funding — they restored hope. They saw beyond the devastation and recognised the resilience, determination, and potential of MAK Plastics, believing in our vision when few others did. Because of that belief, what once seemed impossible became reality.
Our deepest gratitude goes to Mr Adriaan van Wyk, whose willingness to listen to our story, understand our struggles, and recognise the potential within MAK Plastics made all the difference. Thank you for believing in us when others could not see beyond our circumstances — your confidence in our business has become one of the cornerstones of our recovery and future growth.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to Patricia Pillay and the entire Polyco team. Your professionalism, unwavering support, guidance, and commitment throughout this journey have been invaluable. You treated our dream as though it mattered, and because of your collective efforts, that dream is now a thriving reality.
The success of MAK Plastics is not ours alone — it is a shared success with Polyco. Together, we have demonstrated that investing in local manufacturing, innovation, and circular economy initiatives creates lasting social, environmental, and economic impact. As we look towards the future, our ambitions continue to grow, and we know exactly whose door we will be knocking on first.
From the entire MAK Plastics family: thank you for believing in us, standing beside us, and giving us the opportunity to rebuild not only a business, but also the lives of the people who depend on it. Your belief became our second chance, and for that, we will remain forever grateful.
A New Beginning
The Rebirth of MAK Plastics
Today, MAK Plastics operates a new, world-class recycling facility in New Germany, KwaZulu-Natal — equipped with the state-of-the-art EREMA RegrindPro® recycling system. 65 of the employees who lost their jobs in the fires have been re-employed, and the facility's recycling and production capabilities have grown far beyond where they started.
Every job recreated represents a family supported, a future restored, and a testament to what is possible when partnership meets purpose.
Our Capabilities
65
Jobs Restored
200
Employees Originally Affected
1
World-Class Facility Established
Looking Ahead
Building What Comes Next
MAK Plastics remains focused on advanced recycling, local manufacturing, job creation, and environmental responsibility — continuing to drive circular-economy innovation across South Africa. We are currently developing an exciting new project with the potential to further transform the country's plastics recycling landscape, and we know exactly whose door we will be knocking on first when the time comes.