About Us

Our Beginning
THERMO FIRES cc is a Cape Town-based South African designer and manufacturer of all things braai and fireplace related. The company was started on 26 September 2003 and is still under the leadership of owner Liza van Zyl.

From humble beginnings and a factory spanning only 500 m2, the business has grown from strength to strength, more than tripling in size.

Our Approach
At Thermo Fires, we strive to bring our customers the most diverse range of excellent quality products at competitive prices, coupled with sound knowledge and a wealth of experience. We not only manufacture but will help you design your bespoke / custom designed one-of-a-kind unit. With our wealth of knowledge, we will ensure not only good looks but also correct extraction. Our logo Leadership through Quality embodies our vision to become the preferred supplier to the discerning architect, builder, and customer. With our belief in the quality of our products and workmanship, we are the only company to give a 20 years warranty against faulty material and workmanship.
We are proud to be local, and we create jobs. We do not import any of our products, but manufacture it all right here 'from scratch.'
Above all, we promise to be honest in our dealings and provide reliable service at all times.

Our Business
Thermo Fires manufactures all things braais and fireplaces of the highest quality, using only the best available material. We do everything in-house: from designing, guillotining, or laser cutting and bending of our products, right through to manufacturing our own grids, flues and cowls. This gives us total control over the quality of all our units. No other company can say the same.
Coupled with the owner's extensive knowledge in the manufacture and design of braais and fireplaces, this allows us to design and manufacture bespoke / custom units that you can be assured will not only look good but will do the job right.

We believe in training and promoting our current staff, and as such most of our employees now occupy higher positions than when they started with us.
Having teams that manufacture either; braais, fireplaces, cowls, braai grids, flue kits, custom units, etc., allows our employees to specialize in their specific jobs.

For expert advice, please visit our factory showroom at:

18 Viben Avenue, Brackenfell, Cape Town, South Africa.

Our Team

The owner and CEO, Liza van Zyl, has more than 30 years’ experience in the braai industry. With an extensive knowledge of braais & fireplaces as well as the manufacturing side of the business, she is the go-to-guy for other people in the industry. With her keen sense of pride, honesty and fairness, Thermo stands firmly behind our warranty, and customer satisfaction is very important to us.

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Her right-handmen are:

Husband, Steven Gouws, is the in-house engineer that keeps all the machinery in working order, also working closely with the owner in the design of new units. He has 35 years experience in the braai manufacturing industry with a further 10 years in other steel and manufacturing industries. As a young boy he accompanied his father to work sites, learning how to weld at an age most boys were still playing with toy cars (at least during those times).

Rudolph is our new production manager - in charge of all new orders. He is the person responsible in ensuring orders gets gorrectly "translated" and manufactured according to the customer's specifications. He has past experience as a welder in the factory, leaving to become a manager in other manufacturing industries, before re-joining our team in his new position.

Johan is our draughtsman and does all laser drawings, also working closely with the owner in the design of new and custom units. He started out as salesman, working up to quality controller, and now, as draughtsman, he has the background knowledge of the workings in the factory, and how we want things done.

Joining our team in 2024, is our factory foreman Laven Chetty. With more than 10 years experience in the steel manufacturing industry as well as his background as foreman in a very large company, he is a valuable addition to the team.

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Assisting with debtors and creditors, as well as now being trained as Administration manager, is Nicolene Gouws. As Admin Manager, she is in charge of all things paperwork, as well as emails, and collections. Although she's not been with the company long, she quickly became an integral part of our family and is our biggest cheer leader.

Martie used to be our Administration Manager, but has been promoted to Cost Clerk, as well as training her replacement, ensuring the office runs smoothly. Her background in steel manufacturing spans more than 20 years, from the time she and her late husband ran their own business, to her joining our team more than 6 years ago.

Our Snr Bookkeeper and HR Manager is Alicia Steyn, who joined the company straight out of school, working up to Admin Manager, then Debtors and Creditors Manager, before earning a Technical Financial Accounting diploma, as well as studying for her HR diploma.

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Our Salesmanager is Jaco Els. He does all sales at the factory showroom, from where we service both retail customers and wholesalers. With 30+ years' experience in the braai industry, coupled with factory management's combined experience of more than 65 years, you can be sure that you will receive expert advise.
For advice you can trust, please visit our showroom at 18 Viben Avenue, Brackenfell, Cape Town, South Africa.