• More than 900 workers lost their jobs when the Goodyear factory shut down last year.

• Many workers say listing the factory for sale confirms that no rescue plan is coming.

The old Goodyear tyre factory in Kariega is now officially for sale.

For former workers, the listing has brought a painful realisation that their jobs are not coming back.

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The factory closed in August last year after operating for 78 years. More than 900 workers were left without jobs.

At the time, many hoped the government or a new investor would step in to save the plant.

Those hopes have now been shaken after the factory appeared on the Property24 website, listed by property group Cushman & Wakefield | BROLL.

The large industrial site, based in the Alexander Industrial Area, is being sold as a complete property, including factory space and equipment.

Former workers say the listing feels like the final chapter.

"We heard rumours that a Chinese company was interested," said one former employee. "They even came to look at the factory. We had hope."

Another worker said he believed the government was still trying to find an investor.

"But now it looks like nothing is happening," he said. "Even the unions are quiet. I think it's really over."

After the factory closed, some workers said criminals targeted them, trying to steal their retrenchment money.

In August last year, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Zuko Godlimpi said the government wanted to protect South Africa's tyre manufacturing capacity.

This week, the department confirmed it is still in talks with Goodyear, the Industrial Development Corporation and a potential investor.