KwaZulu-Natal is a primary location for South Africa’s sugar production and the riots in July resulted in sugar production coming to a halt.

Although sugar producer Tongaat Hulett Sugar South Africa was one of many businesses affected by the riots, Tongaat Hulett Sugar South Africa MD Dave Howells says the dedication of staff and community members prevented damage to the company’s operations.

The riots happened during the peak of the sugar cane crushing season and caused serious disruption and harm throughout the value chain, from farms and milling operations to the market, he explains.

Owing to the company’s sugar milling and refining operations being shut down during the riots, it took time to restart the operation because of the unplanned nature of the shutdown, consequently impacting on the company’s milling and refining capacity.

One of Tongaat Hulett’s third-party sugar stores was also looted during the riots.

Despite the various impacts of the riots, Howells adds that the primary focus for the company was the wellbeing of its employees, particularly their security and securing the supply of basic foodstuffs for them.

Tongaat Hulett also offered employees with support in dealing with the psychological impact of the events that unfolded across the region.

“We worked with suppliers in other provinces to source and truck in basic foodstuffs for employees to help ensure that they did not have to stand in long queues to buy food for their families,” explains Howells.

On October 15 the Huletts Refinery team held a function to recognise employees and community members who went beyond the call of duty to defend South Coast Road and protect its operations during the riots.

The event also celebrated the rebuilding of two sugar stores at the Huletts Refinery that were destroyed in a devasting fire in May 2008. At the time, management decided to defer the rebuilding of the stores in favour of using external storage capacity at the South African Sugar Terminals.

However, owing to the growing demand for refined sugar arising from the sugar industry masterplan, Tongaat Hulett decided to invest in the future of its sugar business through the rebuilding of the two sugar stores during 2021, says Howells.

The stores enable the business to store sugar on site for future refining, increasing consistency in supply and reducing the additional costs of off-site storage and transport.