{"id":97114,"date":"2026-04-12T14:55:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company"},"modified":"2026-04-12T15:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:07:29","slug":"plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company","title":{"rendered":"Plan to Save 134-Year-Old South African Company"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) said it is optimistic that Tongaat Hulett can be saved from liquidation.<\/p>\n

The 134-year-old sugar producer is one of the largest in the country, with the capacity to mill two million metric tonnes of sugar and employing thousands of workers.<\/p>\n

The company has faced severe financial challenges since the uncovering of an accounting scandal in 2018, which destroyed R12 billion in shareholder value.<\/p>\n

Tongaat Hulett entered into voluntary business rescue in October 2022, with its business rescue practitioners eventually filing for the company\u2019s liquidation earlier this year.<\/p>\n

The liquidation of Tongaat Hulett would be a significant blow to the country\u2019s already struggling sugar industry, as it is the only standalone producer of white sugar in South Africa.<\/p>\n

The recent turnaround of the Gledhow Sugar Company, however, has given hope that the DTIC can still prevent Tongaat Hulett\u2019s liquidation.<\/p>\n

Gledhow\u2019s sugar mill in KwaDukuza has been refurbished and is expected to resume operations within the next week, saving more than 400 jobs.<\/p>\n

While the company has been in business rescue since 2023, new investors such as the Kenya-based Chatthe Group have helped to turn Gledhow around.<\/p>\n

DTIC Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimpi, who attended the reopening of Gledhow\u2019s sugar mill, said he hopes to replicate their success across the sugar industry, including at Tongaat Hulett.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are positive that Tongaat Hulett will remain in operation,\u201d Godlimpi said. \u201cWe are discussing some hard conditionalities with them about how they must improve and revamp their operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the workers, I would say they should rest assured that, as far as government is concerned, we will do our level best to keep them in employment.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the DTIC does not have the power to halt Tongaat Hulett\u2019s liquidation, it has said it will make a case against it.<\/p>\n

Saving South Africa\u2019s sugar industry<\/b><\/p>\n

SA Canegrowers Chair Higgins Mdluli<\/p>\n

Industry players have called on the South African government to put measures in place to prevent the country\u2019s sugar industry from complete collapse.<\/p>\n

SA Canegrowers chair Higgins Mdluli has warned that the liquidation of Tongaat Hulett could have far-reaching implications for the entire local industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould [Tongaat Hulett] collapse, the downstream consequences would be swift and irreversible,\u201d Mdluli said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bulk of local growers with nowhere to sell their sugarcane, and most, if not all, white sugar procurement would shift offshore in volume, undercutting local producers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tongaat Hulett\u2019s mills serve roughly 18,000 of South Africa\u2019s 28,000 registered sugarcane growers across the provinces of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.<\/p>\n

The liquidation would not only affect thousands of jobs across the sugar industry but would also severely impact the local beverage and confectionery industries, which rely heavily on white sugar.<\/p>\n

The ongoing war in the Middle East has also affected local sugarcane farmers, with higher fuel and fertiliser prices significantly driving up their production costs.<\/p>\n

Mdluli said urgent policy reform is necessary to protect the local sugar industry, including reducing dependence on cheap sugar imports from countries such as Brazil and Thailand.<\/p>\n

While sugar producers in these countries are subsidised by their governments, South Africa does not subsidise its local sugar industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe local industry loses more than R7,000 for every ton of locally produced sugar displaced by imports,\u201d Mdluli said. \u201cA combined blow of R1.5 billion on the industry in a single season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mdluli explained that the current tariffs on sugar imports into South Africa are based on an outdated benchmark, and often come months after the global sugar price drops.<\/p>\n

He said that raising this benchmark to match modern standards would provide prompt relief to local producers without high cost to the government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe argument for government support is one of strategic interest,\u201d Mdluli said. \u201cA sugar industry that endures keeps rural communities employed, sustains the tax base in two provinces and preserves food-sector sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Africa<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) said it is optimistic that Tongaat Hulett can be saved from liquidation. The 134-year-old sugar producer is one of the largest in the country, with the capacity to mill two million metric tonnes of sugar and employing thousands of workers. The company has faced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":97113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[275],"class_list":["post-97114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"\nPlan to Save 134-Year-Old South African Company - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) said it is optimistic that Tongaat Hulett can be saved from liq ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Plan to Save 134-Year-Old South African Company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) said it is optimistic that Tongaat Hulett can be saved from liq ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-12T14:55:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-12T15:07:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/sm_1775993805.856314.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Plan to Save 134-Year-Old South African Company\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-12T14:55:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-12T15:07:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company\"},\"wordCount\":657,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/sm_1775993805.856314.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/plan-to-save-134-year-old-south-african-company\",\"name\":\"Plan to Save 134-Year-Old South African Company - 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