Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Industrial Development CorporationIn the news
Threat: The local sugar industry estimates it has lost about R1.5 billion as a result of subsidised sugar imports. Photo: Supplied

Sugar sector feels the squeeze

Rising sugar imports from countries like Brazil and India are threatening thousands of local jobs, sparking urgent calls from industry and labour for the government to fast-track…

The IDC-Vision sweet deal deserves scrutiny, not scorn

An examination of the IDC's equity partnership with Vision Sugar Group in Tongaat Hulett reveals a strategic pan-African deal that converted distressed debt into productive…

True grit: Lindiwe Nkuna-Kgopa’s journey has earned her the 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award.

Bold enough to rewrite the industry

Lindiwe Nkuna-Kgopa refused to accept the absence of women-owned, industrial-scale sanitary pad manufacturers in South Africa. Her determination led to the creation of Africa's…

The key to the regional success of the SADC is integration

South Africa, often struggling in global markets, holds a powerful card in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). As International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola…

Development-Linked Financial Architecture (DLFA): Financing stability in an age of migration

Migration is a defining policy challenge for South Africa and the African continent, often viewed through the lens of border management. This article argues that migration is…

Call for accountability: Concerns about the criteria used and process followed in awarding the deal to Tinley Leisure Women Investments continue to linger. Photo: Supplied

Trust questions IDC equity to ‘outsiders’

The R2.1 billion Club Med deal faces scrutiny as Chief Jiba Magwaza of the Magwaza Royal Trusts in KwaZulu-Natal criticizes the involvement of Tinley Leisure Women Investments…

Roadblock: Cheap sugar imports, mainly from India, Guatemala, Brazil and Thailand, are killing the struggling industry. Photo: Delwyn Versamy

R1.5bn lost to cheap sugar imports

South Africa's sugar industry has lost an estimated R1.5 billion due to a surge in cheap sugar imports, primarily from India, Guatemala, Brazil, and Thailand. Despite a recent…

High stakes: South African businessman Robert Gumede

The African duo entrepreneurs who saved Tongaat Hulett

South African billionaire Robert Gumede and Zimbabwean deal-maker Rute Moyo have joined forces through their Vision Sugar Group to rescue the beleaguered sugar giant Tongaat…

Ghost towns: The mills in Tongaat, Maidstone and Felixton have fallen silent. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Black capital saves sugar giant

A crucial agreement between the Robert Gumede-led Vision Group and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has successfully halted the liquidation of Tongaat Hulett Limited…

Broad-based BEE compliance fatigue and unclear outcomes dominate transformation debate

Business leaders at the Nedbank Top Empowerment Conference have highlighted compliance fatigue and unclear outcomes under South Africa's broad-based black economic empowerment…

The collapse of THL would have spelt disaster for the KZN economy and many other rural towns who rely on the sugar sector for survival.

Business rescue practitioners and key stakeholders strike deal to save Tongaat Hulett

KwaZulu-Natal sugar giant Tongaat Hulett Ltd (THL) has been saved from liquidation after a binding agreement was reached between Business Rescue Practitioners, the Industrial…