Media statement by SA Canegrowers
June 17, 2026
SA Canegrowers welcomes Tongaat Hulett agreement between IDC and Vision
SA Canegrowers welcomes the agreement reached between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Vision consortium regarding future funding for the business rescue of Tongaat Hulett.
Under the agreement, Vision and the IDC agreed on a pathway toward business rescue for Tongaat Hulett, and as such the business rescue practitioners have agreed to withdraw the liquidation application for the company. The agreement provides funding to keep Tongaat Hulett operating in the short term and creates a pathway for the implementation of the business rescue plan, Vision’s ownership of Tongaat Hulett’s assets, and its eventual exit from business rescue.
For growers, workers and communities that depend on Tongaat Hulett, this agreement averts the immediate threat of liquidation and protects jobs and livelihoods across the sugar value chain.
“This agreement is a significant milestone in securing the future of the modern South African sugar industry. With the liquidation of Tongaat Hulett off the table, we hope that its mills and refinery can now focus on operating without interruption. More than 17,500 supplying sugarcane growers rely on Tongaat,” said Higgins Mdluli, chairman of SA Canegrowers.
Tongaat Hulett is a key contributor to South Africa’s economy and to the stability of rural communities. Tongaat Hulett operates three sugar mills and the country’s biggest standalone refiner of white sugar. White sugar is used in beverages, biscuits, and confectionary. For more than 130 years, the company has been a cornerstone of the national sugar value chain, which supports more than one million livelihoods.
“We would like to thank the government, especially the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and the IDC, for recognising the significance of the sugar industry to the national economy,” said Mdluli. “Tongaat Hulett’s mills have continued to be operational, even as the liquidation hearing was looming, in part owing to bridging funding from the IDC.”
SA Canegrowers looks forward to working with all parties involved to secure a stable and sustainable future for the South African sugar industry.
“As a unified industry, we can also address other immediate challenges facing us, especially the still persistent flood of imported sugar into South Africa. Unfairly subsidised sugar from countries such as Brazil and Thailand is currently displacing locally produced sugar from retailers and food and beverage manufacturers. This affects growers and local millers alike – including Tongaat Hulett,” said Mdluli.
ENDS
For media queries Gerhard Mulder
Gerhard@resolvecommunications.co.za
083 305 9361