SASA’S REGIONAL PROJECTS - TRANSFORMATION INTERVENTION DRIVING INCLUSIVE GROWTH ACROSS THE SUGAR INDUSTRY

As part of the extended Transformation Plan, the South African Sugar Industry has continued to make meaningful strides in advancing transformation through targeted regional investments. 

In the 2024/2025 season, the industry, through the South African Sugar Association (SASA) Transformation Fund, disbursed R52.79 million across the various regions to support locally driven transformation projects.

Formally approved by the SASA Council in September 2024, the initiative - known as the Regional Projects Transformation Intervention - was launched in December 2024 with an initial planning phase to determine how funds would be deployed. As a result, implementation of most regional projects commenced in the 2025/2026 season.

Right from top: (1) Fence inspection by the Mpumalanga regions Project Steering Committee. (2) New pump installed in the Pongola area. (3) Zone Rehabilitation in progress in the Umfolozi area. 

Regional Interventions Focused on Growth and Sustainability

The Transformation Intervention has supported a range of projects aimed at enhancing productivity, improving infrastructure, and strengthening local participation in the sugarcane value chain. Key focus areas include infrastructure development, zone rehabilitation, seedcane production, and skills training.

A notable milestone is the investment in a training centre in the UCL region, where local community members are being upskilled in sugar milling processes - a move set to boost local employment and technical capacity.

Regional Highlights

In the Komati region, a shortage of seedcane was identified early in 2025. While funds have been ringfenced for seedcane investment, the region has already erected protective fencing to safeguard crops from livestock damage.

The Malelane region used its allocation to enhance irrigation infrastructure and has identified five hectares of land for replanting once approved seedcane becomes available.

In Pongola, funding supported the installation of pumps, which were commissioned in June 2025, alongside zone rehabilitation work completed the following month.

The Umfolozi, Gledhow, and Sezela regions also prioritised zone rehabilitation, aimed at improving field productivity and sustainable land use.

Within the Illovo Sugar SA mill areas, projects focused on seedcane production, fertiliser application, and the acquisition of mechanised farming equipment. Notably, the Eston region invested R2.8 million in tractors and implements to modernise local farming operations, whilst the Noodsberg region invested in the purchase of a bell cane loader. The Sezela region has allocated funding for seedcane planting, scheduled to begin in October 2025, and is pioneering the use of drone ripening technology, with project completion anticipated by February 2026.

Meanwhile, the Tongaat Hulett Sugar mill areas concentrated efforts on seedcane development, approving approximately 180 hectares for seedcane procurement and establishing hot water treatment plants to improve seedcane quality.

(4) Eston Committee with purchased equipment. (5) Noodsberg purchase of Bell Cane Loader. (6) Maidstone's identified Hot Water Treatment Plant.

Strengthening the Industry from the Ground Up

Through these targeted interventions, SASA’s Transformation Fund continues to empower growers, revitalise infrastructure, and promote sustainable farming practices across South Africa’s sugar-producing regions. By investing in both people and production, the initiative is not only addressing immediate challenges, such as seedcane shortages and infrastructure gaps, but also laying the foundation for a more inclusive and resilient sugar industry.

Additional Investments

In September 2025, SASA Council approved a further R52.79 million allocation to these Regional Project Transformation Interventions, with planning and administration still underway. Should you wish to access funding from your regional allocation, please engage with your local mill.