It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our Managing Director, Mr. Kim Pratley on 19 January 2021. He joined the company in 1979 after graduating from Wits University as a Mechanical Engineer. In 1983, after the passing of his father, George “Monty” Pratley, he took over the Company’s leadership at the age of 27. Mr. Pratley was a man loved and admired by many, and recognised as an inventor, innovative leader, keen aviator and industry icon.

"𝘼𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧, 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧, 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚. 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙝𝙞𝙢. 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨,𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙮. 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙“. comments Kim’s son, Andrew Pratley.

The company is now left in the capable hands of his two sons, Andrew and Charles Pratley who have both worked at the company alongside their father for many years. With degrees in IT and Engineering respectively, both also have extensive knowledge into the workings of the company having worked their way up from grass roots level.

“𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙥𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚. 𝙂𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨, 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙.” comments his son, Charles Pratley.

Pratley has always maintained its fundamentals as a family-owned business. In 2020, the Company celebrated its 72nd anniversary.