KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has taken personal charge of an active organised crime investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tongaat Hulett’s liquidation, as concerns grow over the future of the embattled sugar producer.
On Friday, 23 October, Mkhwanazi convened a closed-door meeting at the South African Police Service’s provincial headquarters in Durban with key stakeholders involved in the company’s business rescue process.
According to SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, the investigation is active. However, he declined to disclose the identity of the complainant or when the case docket was opened, citing the sensitivity of the investigation.
The meeting was attended by Tongaat Hulett’s business rescue management, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), sugarcane growers and representatives of the Zulu Royal Household. The media were not permitted to attend the discussions.
The investigation comes amid prolonged uncertainty surrounding the company’s financial position and rescue process, which has been complicated by competing interests and legal disputes over the proposed sale of its assets.
Tongaat Hulett entered voluntary business rescue in October 2022 following an accounting scandal. Investigators previously found that the company’s profits had been overstated by approximately R12 billion over several years.
In June 2026, the IDC, Vision Group and the business rescue practitioners reached a binding agreement intended to advance the company’s rescue. However, disputes surrounding the transaction and concerns raised by stakeholders have continued.
The latest police investigation introduces a criminal dimension to the company’s troubled collapse. SAPS has not publicly detailed the specific allegations being investigated, and no conclusions about criminal responsibility have been announced in connection with the liquidation probe.
The meeting’s discussions and any further investigative steps have not been publicly disclosed.
