In 1913 a concession was granted to St Lucia Sugar Company to mill sugar cane at Umfolozi and by 1916, Umfolozi Sugar Mill as it stands today was founded.
A couple years after the inception of the mill, a catastrophic flood caused damage to the infrastructure of the factory and as a result, Umfolozi Sugar Mill struggled economically following extensive reconstructions.
This led to it being placed on auction in 1923 where a small group of farmers purchased it. Following a flood that occurred two years later, a decision was made to re-site the mill on higher ground, which is where it’s presently situated on Mill Road & Club Lane in Mtubatuba.
In the early 1930s the lower Umfolozi flats were drained, creating more silt rich land but over the years the flats had been subjected to several floods which resulted in severe damage and loss of sand deposits. In order to combat that, a narrow gauge rail system was developed to aid in the extraction of sugar cane from the flats in wet conditions and today, it is probably the most cost effective cane transport system in South Africa.
Since its establishment, there have been numerous offers made to purchase the mill or attempts to take it over but all were rejected until late 1991, when CG Smith Sugar limited presented USM with an offer. In early 1992, the offer was accepted and CG Smith Sugar Limited later changed to Illovo Sugar Limited.
Between the years 2005 and 2008, Sokhela Family temporarily acquired ownership of Umfolozi Mill, Gledhow Mill and associated properties from Illovo Sugar Limited. Due to various reasons, Illovo Sugar Limited resumed ownership in 2008.
By early 2009, Umfolozi Mill changed ownership again after lengthy negotiations in which a consortium consisting of UCOSP Limited, UVS, Charl Senekal and NCP Alcohols was formed. This new association renamed the Mill to Umfolozi Sugar Mill (Pty) Ltd, as it stands today.
Today, many countries, including South Africa sugar production, have again introduced sugar taxes because of rising concern over the negativ...