Shawson Engineering CC | Wakis Av, Strijdompark, Randburg Gauteng

In 1966, Charles Trubshaw, had the company incorporated in South Africa and named it Shawson Engineering Transvaal Limited. They took offices in Braamfontein, purchased a 2nd hand, extremely heavy, very ancient safe called a Patent Ratner, and then set about finalising product lines which they prayed might sell. These were roofing fasteners consisting of galvanised hook bolts, roofing screws and hook nuts with hot dipped galvanising envisaged as required. Further lines would be lawn mowers and blades, blackboards and easels, air pump compressors, artificial Christmas trees, portable LP gas equipment, toilet chemical (with a toilet hire company in due course), and plastic site sanitation with their seats and sanitary pails. With the toilet chemical they received orders for anti freeze which was used at an Antarctic base to keep their toilets flushable. In later years they marketed underground recirculating toilets, as in aircraft, and a much wider range of products. The first of their major mistakes was that