Eskort, the 109-year-old antibiotic-free pork producer, has appointed Herman Janse van Rensburg, general manager of Lactalis South Africa, as its next group chief executive, ending almost two decades under Arnold Prinsloo. The appointment was announced on 20 October by First Food Brands, a South African food manufacturing and meat processing company.
Janse van Rensburg will join Eskort’s management team on 1 January 2027 and take over as group CEO on 1 March 2027. Before that he will complete a two-month induction, during which Prinsloo will oversee the handover before retiring. Board chairperson Gerard Braak cited the incoming chief’s financial, operational and executive leadership experience, and thanked Prinsloo for his contribution to the business.
Janse van Rensburg has spent 16 years at Lactalis South Africa, the local arm of the French dairy group. He joined as a financial manager and worked in executive management control, then as a business unit executive and chief operating officer. He was named general manager in July 2023, succeeding Alban Damour. The company employs about 2,700 people and owns brands including Parmalat, Président, Melrose, Bonnita and Steri Stumpie.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 1917, as a farmers’ co-operative in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal |
| Corporatised | 1998, controlled by supplier shareholders |
| Production sites | Estcourt (KwaZulu-Natal) and Heidelberg (Gauteng) |
| Retail network | More than 30 stores in eight provinces |
| Product range | More than 300 antibiotic-free pork products |
| Outgoing CEO | Arnold Prinsloo, CEO since 1 July 2007 |
| Incoming CEO | Herman Janse van Rensburg, from 1 March 2027 |
Prinsloo joined Eskort as chief operating officer and became chief executive on 1 July 2007, the year the company marked 90 years. Over a tenure totalling 22 years, the group expanded its manufacturing capacity, built a retail network of more than 30 stores across eight provinces and developed a range of more than 300 antibiotic-free pork products.
Retail has become central to the model. Eskort’s own stores are the only outlets that carry its full range, while supermarkets stock selected lines. In May, the company opened stores at Fourways Crossing in Johannesburg and Rembrandt Mall in Paarl. It also said a 10,000 square metre extension at its Heidelberg plant had raised capacity by 50%.
The business traces its origins to a co-operative bacon factory founded by farmers in Estcourt in August 1917 and opened by Prime Minister Louis Botha in June 1918. Production began at Heidelberg in 1954. The co-operative became a limited company in 1998, controlled by its supplier shareholders.
Janse van Rensburg takes over as disease outbreaks weigh on the pork market. South Africa processes about 72,000 pigs a week. In July, Prinsloo said African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease had removed about 7,000 pigs from the formal market, and that a 2% shortage can lift prices by around 10%. Wholesale pork rose from about R32/kg to R40/kg over that period. In Tshwane alone, seven African swine fever outbreaks since November 2025 affected 69,171 pigs, of which about 60,000 were culled. The South African Pork Producers’ Organisation has spent more than R10m on culling, disposal and labour.
Janse van Rensburg said he intends to build on Eskort’s foundations while responding to changing consumer habits. He moves from a dairy processor to a vertically integrated pork group whose operations span farms, processing plants, logistics and its own retail stores.