SA Canegrowers’ elects new leaders - warns of sugar imports

Colleen Dardagan

Annual sugarcane grower gathering expresses concern over increased cheap imports and the impact on employment while cautiously optimistic as millers increase spending on infrastructure  investment.  

Above: Members who were either re-elected or elected for the first time to the SA Canegrowers’ Board at the Annual General Meeting. From left: Thobani Lubisi, Nolusizo Mzoneli, Higgins Mdluli , Rustin Curtis (first term), Guy Heenan (first term), Rex Talmage.

As SA Canegrowers appoints its new leadership team for the 2025/26 season, Chairman Higgins Mdluli is calling for urgency on the sugar industry masterplan phase two and improved protection on growing imports.

On 11 June, SA Canegrowers’ members from all 12 milling regions met at the industry’s headquarters, KwaShukela outside Durban. The aim of the gathering was to elect a new executive and to review the affairs of the organisation over the past year.

The meeting also remembered the contribution and legacy of former Finance & Administration Executive, Olivia Finnemore, who passed away together with her husband, Gareth and eldest son, Garth, in a tragic motor accident in August last year. 

Key highlights included improved milling infrastructure investment and performance and the start of phase two of the Sugar Industry Value Chain Masterplan to 2030. Phase one of the plan concluded in mid-2023.

Newly elected Chairman, Higgins Mdluli called for urgency on the work saying that it was imperative to secure the future of an industry devastated by the government-imposed Health Promotions Levy or sugar tax since 2018. 

Above: Suresh Naidoo with a farewell gift of thanks and appreciation from SA Canegrowers as he retires from the organisation after more than 22 years of service.

Imports risk

Mdluli also highlighted a new and growing risk which he said was from unfair global trade practices resulting in sugar coming into the country at below the cost of domestic production and below the global sugar price. This he said was as a direct result of foreign governments either heavily subsidising their industries or sugar-producing countries dumping their excess product at a loss.

“For every ton of imported sugar, South African sugarcane growers lose R6 000 in income,” Mdluli said. 

He warned this would cost jobs in the sector. “The sugar industry provides work for about 85 000 people particularly in job-poor rural KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.”

He called on the South African government, industry and commercial end-users and consumers to support the country’s sugarcane farmers. “Our growers contribute to a thriving, inclusive agricultural economy. If they are to continue then they require a level playing field to allow them to compete,” he added.

Above, from left: Higgins Mdluli – SA Canegrowers’ Board Chairman; Kurt Stock – SA Canegrowers’ Vice Chairman – first term and Andrew Russell – SA Canegrowers’ Vice Chairman.

Energy drink takes off

SA Canegrowers’ CEO, Dr Thomas Funke said the organisation together with its subsidiary, Womoba, had launched its first product aimed at providing downstream value adds for the crop in line with the diversification strategy outlined in phase one of the Sugar Industry Value Chain Masterplan to 2030. The product, an energy drink trademarked, Shesha,™ is the first such product made from raw sugarcane. “Shesha™ original, lemon and lime, orange and ginger beer have been very well received by the market. In just six months the team have crushed 57,5 tons of cane to produce 28 725l of cane juice which was converted to 629 345 cans of Shesha™ energy drink.”

Funke said an aggressive marketing campaign would follow what he termed a “stock-building phase”. “We have set up depots in the various milling regions and some stores are carrying stocks. The next step is listing on a marketing platform which will happen shortly.”

Follow the Shesha™ rollout on Tiktok @shesha_energy.

Funke said the energy drink was SA Canegrowers’ way of making diversification in the country’s sugar industry a reality.

Canvasing women growers

Meanwhile, former SA Canegrowers’ Vice-Chair, Nolusizo Mzoneli said her focus for the year ahead was to canvas women in the industry to take up leadership positions in the organisation. “I have stepped away from the Vice Chair position so that I can focus on this very important mission. I am going to be travelling the length and breadth of the sugarcane growing region in South Africa to meet women where they are. I want to find out why they seem reluctant to participate in and take-up roles of leadership in the industry. We need our women growers to contribute now more than ever,” she said.

SA Canegrowers’ Newly Elected Officials:

Chairman
Higgins Mdluli