The new owner of the Gledhow Sugar Company in KwaZulu-Natal’s KwaDukuza district is investing heavily in technologies and processes intended to achieve maximum socio-economic returns from the circular economy opportunities presented by sugarcane. This will set a positive precedent and role model for South Africa’s long-ailing sugarcane value chain.
By Lloyd Phillips, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
Raghbir “Birre” Chatthe, managing director of the family-owned Chatthe Group based in Kenya with operations in Uganda and South Africa as well, says much of his company’s proven business strategy will be applied to the Gledhow Sugar Company, which is scheduled to start its 2026-’27 sugarcane milling season sometime next week.
African Farming was at the official recommissioning of Gledhow this week. Among the attendees of this celebratory occasion were leaders in South Africa’s 178-year-old sugarcane value chain, and Zuko Godlimpi, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.
Godlimpi is currently engaging with the sugar industry to hopefully find solutions to the many significant existential threats it is facing. These threats include unfair competition from the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sugar being dumped on the South African market, and the potential liquidation of South Africa’s sugarcane milling giant, Tongaat Hulett.
The Chatthe Group officially acquired the 147-year-old independent Gledhow business, which had been in business rescue for close on three years, at the end of January 2025.
Also read: ‘Jobs bloodbath’ warning as major players fight Tongaat Hulett liquidation crisis
Already a Leader in the Sugarcane Circular Economy
Chatthe says the Chatthe Group’s R2 billion technological and management upgrades to both Gledhow’s sugarcane mill and sugar refinery will simultaneously improve efficiencies, reduce operational costs and diversify income streams from sugarcane.
“We are already a global leader in the circular economy of sugarcane. Our plans for Gledhow include converting molasses to bioethanol, selling excess bagasse, steam and cogenerated electricity to our neighbour, Sappi, and converting what are normally considered low-value waste materials into affordable organic fertilisers for the sugarcane growers supplying our mill.
“By the end of the 2026-’27 milling season, we aim to have moved totally away from Gledhow’s previous reliance on about 200 000 tons of coal annually. Instead, we will utilise far more efficient technologies and systems to use only bagasse for our steam and electricity needs. This will generate 150 000 to 200 000 carbon credits annually.”
The Gledhow facility is currently a hive of activity as construction and engineering teams ready it to start milling sugarcane from next week. Other improvements to the operations will be installed incrementally while the sugarcane milling is on the go.
Gledhow’s sugarcane crushing capacity is set to be increased from the current 300 tonnes per hour (between 1 million and 1.5 million tonnes per year) to 450 tonnes/hour (2 million tonnes/year).
The modern Gledhow will directly employ at least 400 people and indirectly support about 26 000 more, including both small-scale and commercial sugarcane growers and their own employees.
For 11 years to date the Chatthe Group also owns and operates macadamia production, processing and packing operations in Mpumalanga.
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