Wayne

Africa’s largest & leading gumboot specialists over the last 80 years

After 80 years of specialised gumboot manufacturing, innovation and technical achievement, Wayne is committed to delivering superior quality, long-lasting gumboots to a variety of industries and applications.

As leading specialists in our field, we focus on what we do best – gumboots, and gumboots only – allowing us to become pioneers in our industry, delivering consistently excellent and innovatively designed gumboots manufactured from world-class materials and components.

Our gumboots are proudly manufactured in South Africa, and are available in a variety of colours, cuts and lengths to suit the needs of the industry, from mining and agricultural to food processing and hygiene.

With an international footprint covering 40 countries worldwide, our gumboots meet all the highest international safety standards.

Gumboots or wellingtons – what’s the difference? The short answer is that there’s no difference… both these terms refer to waterproof rubber or plastic boots. Other common names include galoshes, mucking boots, wellies, and so on.

Why choose Wayne – the leading gumboot manufacturer in Africa?

Wayne Safety started manufacturing gumboots an incredible 80 years ago, with Wayne Rubber producing rubber gumboots in KZN. This began a long tradition of manufacturing superior quality gumboots and serving workers right at the heart of industry. Today, Wayne is the largest and leading PVC and PU gumboot manufacturer in Africa.

Since 1940, we have focused on what we do best – gumboots, and gumboots alone – allowing us to emerge as specialists in our field and pioneers in both innovation and quality.

Wayne has become a firm favourite in some of the toughest industries. Miners have worn our iconic Egoli gumboot for almost 40 years, fondly referring to them as ‘mdala-scathu’ (mdala iscathulo), which loosely translates to “the old-timer shoes”, because they have stood the test of time.

We were the first gumboot manufacturer in Africa to install our own PVC compounding plant which allowed for greater quality control and a quicker manufacturing process. In 2014, Wayne became the first (and proudly remains the only) PU gumboot manufacturer in Africa.

Over the years, we have worked on reducing our carbon footprint in line with our objective of sustainability, and today we produce 35% of all our gumboots from recycled materials. Our Duralight 1 is well-recognised in agricultural sectors and incorporates a mix of virgin and recycled PVC that results in a superior, yet cost-effective, recycled gumboot upon which our customers can trust and rely.

In 2015, we were the first to introduce a fully-integrated metatarsal PVC gumboot to market that was EN20345-accredited. Our gumboots are compliant with all safety standards and regulations, and are manufactured in an ISO 9001 accredited factory to ensure unrivalled quality. This has allowed us to compete with international brands and broaden our global footprint to over 40 countries worldwide.

After 80 years of specialised gumboot manufacturing, innovation and technical achievement, Wayne remains a proudly-South African company that supports and services the local economy, establishing ourselves as part of the history of our great country and continent.

Today, Wayne is the number one choice in Africa for PVC and PU gumboots; from mining and agriculture to food processing and hygiene.