Another black-ownership transformation disaster: Tongaat-Hulett
Tongaat Hulett’s sugarcane empire began in the late 1800s in KwaZulu-Natal. Founded from mergers of the companies of two British men, Edward Saunders & Sir Liege Hulett, it grew into a major player. By the 20th century, it controlled vast cane lands on KZN’s North Coast, fueling SA’s sugar industry for over 130 years.
Post-apartheid: Land reform pushed black ownership. Tongaat partnered on restitution: e.g., Ubizo CPA claimed & got >2,500ha in 2015, paying dividends to 200 black households. Schemes like Uzinzo leased land to black growers. Broader BEE efforts leased land to emerging black farmers. Large scale race-based redistribution to black people with little experience or expertise.
Struggles hit hard: The company was plagued by 2019 accounting scandals, governance failures, R12bn value wipeout. It entered business rescue 2022. Vision Group’s 2024 rescue plan collapsed (funding lapsed Feb 2026), leading to provisional liquidation. The black small-scale growers now face existential threats: lost markets, unpaid cane, leased land at risk, impacting livelihoods across the KZN cane belt.
A devastating, but predictable, African story.
Another couple murdered on a farm this weekend. Their names are Pierre and Belinda De Kock. They were killed on their farm Aurora close to Piketberg in the Western Cape. Say their names MR President! They are NOT just numbers!
A couple of months before the 2024 elections:
- The sudden end of Load-Shedding
- Sudden Service Delivery
- Events that will distract from real issues
- ANC Cadres in random towns shaking hands
- Food Parcels and T-Shirts
- "Apartheid" and "Colonialism" buzz
Don't fall for it.