More than R100 million worth of South African textile industry equipment has benefited the industries of countries such as India, Bangladesh and Indonesia, which have been buying the equipment through online auctions for the past four years.

In recent years Textile Horizons, responsible for plant disposals and individual machinery sales, has entered into a joint venture with GoIndustry DoveBid, one of the world's largest online auctioneering firms, to handle all textile-related projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

Textile Horizons partner Reg Taylor said “we have carried out the disposal of seven major textile mills ranging from spinning (to) weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing and finishing plants." Closed-down mills included Valley Textiles, David Whiteheads, Table Bay Spinners, Team Puma and Court Fabrics. Da Gama Textiles, one of South Africa's leading textile producers, had been downsized.

Textile Horizons has more recently been mandated to dispose of the South African Nylon Spinners plant in the Western Cape, which closed last year. The company is assessing the value of the equipment.