Retired Durban businessman turns 100

RETIRED Durban business guru Leonard Baumann celebrated his 100th birthday on December 23. Known for his multi-million-rand company, Bakers Limited, Baumann is grateful for his life and the legacy he has left behind in the business sphere. In a sit-down interview with the Highway Mail, the Cowies Hill resident went down memory lane from his early life to when he put his business tools down in retirement.

“I was born on a farm in Empangeni. A few years later, I moved to Durban to pursue my schooling career because there were no schools in the area. My uncle suggested that I become an accountant, and I went to Johannesburg for five years to pursue that dream. I then came back to Durban when I had to take over Bakers Limited from my uncle,” he said.

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Baumann said he had joined a club called the YMCA, a club for young, unmarried men who were aspiring to be businessmen and some who were already in business. “I married a Cape Town girl who died when she was 93 years old, and we had two daughters. Prior to moving into this house, we lived in a flat for two years. I told her that I wanted a house, and 63 years later, I am still living in the same house,” he said.
The grandfather of three said it was a pleasure to watch his business grow and employ more people over the years.

“As Bread Limited grew, we were approached by many businesses to buy into them, so we bought about five or six companies. When I was in the Durban Rotary Club, I was approached by another member to start Life Line, an organisation that focused on assisting patients that suffered from mental health. We had complications starting the organisation due to the regulations, but we eventually overcame that, and the company was running within three years.

“We were also approached by Loins of London to start Wimpy in South Africa; we also had Pies in Port Elizabeth, and we had KwaMashu Bakery as well as Fattis and Monis that manufactured biscuits (trading as Fino Food Industries Ltd) and many more products. I placed a director for each company who managed the runnings of the business,” he said.

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Baumann said they were once approached by the Monopoly board as they owned too many businesses according to their regulations. “But with everything considered, we generated employment, and we were excused. I remember every morning, how our vans from Bakers Limited would be scattered all over the streets of Durban delivering bread,” he said.

In 1984, it was time for Baumann to rest. “No one took over from me, so we sold everything. Over the years, I have learnt to be compassionate towards people. We had happy employees who were happy to work with us and for us, and I believe it is because we were compassionate,” he said.

His birthday was celebrated in his home in Cowies Hill on December 28 with friends and family.