KZN Agriculture MEC kaMadlopha-Mthethwa had undertaken an oversight visit to Ntingwe Tea Estate in Nkandla on the 28th of October 2024 and called for a turnaround strategy that will culminate in bringing back the estate to its economic growth and financial stability.
KaMadlopha-Mthethwa has urged the management of Ntingwe to ensure that their operations continue. At the centre of the MEC's call is to ensure that the staff, mainly rural women from the impoverished Nkandla, keep their work and that the company realises its production targets, one of which is to cultivate 395 hectares of tea to be sold locally and to international markets. Ntingwe is now a project managed by the Agribusiness Development Agency.
"I regard Ntingwe Tea Estate as one of the key and strategic entities of the Department of Agriculture, as it's supposed to create employment opportunities, not only for the highly and advanced skilled labours but for ordinary people as well. The creation of employment is key to reducing unemployment. Ntingwe is supposed to pluck in that gap of reducing employment, more especially by absorbing locals and rural communities from the King Cetshwayo District, where there's little economic activity and centres of employment," said KaMadlopha-Mthethwa.
The entity has the capacity to employ 800 seasonal employees during peak harvesting periods. KaMadlopha-Mthethwa said this must be realised. The continued operations of Ntingwe will be one of KaMadlopha-Mthethwa's legacies.
