Woman at helm of sugar body
Mam Lee the first black to hold coveted top position at Sasa
SOUTH African Farmers’ Development Association (Safda) deputy chairperson Lee Hlubi recently made history when she was elected as the vice-chairperson of the SA Sugar Association (Sasa) – the first black woman to hold the position in the industry’s century-long existence.
When Hlubi offered her colleagues a lift to the Land Reform offices more than 14 years ago, little did she know that unselfish act would change her life forever.
“I was not in a hurry, so I went into the offices with them. I added my name to the list and forgot about it,” she recalls.
Three months later, Hlubi was informed that there was a farm available. “I was so excited. I just couldn’t believe it.”
That was the start of a long hard journey for Mam Lee, as she is known in the farming fraternity.
“I have been farming since 2007. I was a nobody and didn’t know much about sugar cane farming. In fact, the workers taught me.”
Hlubi employs 26 full-time and eight seasonal workers.
“The first time the workers burnt the cane, I panicked. I was so scared to see my fields burning. But they knew what needed to be done.
They have certainly taught me a lot and the respect that I received was unbelievable. I guess it is reciprocation, as I respect them.”
Hlubi was on a steep learning curve from the first sugar cane harvest.
“I didn’t know anyone in the farming community and I got onto the farm in the middle of the cutting season. I delivered cane to the mill but didn’t get paid. I waited for four months, even the workers were then saying ‘once mlungu ihamba, the black farmer cannot pay us’. By then I was really struggling.
“I went to the mill and was told that the cane was seeded with a loan from the mill. That had not been made known to me when I took over the farm; the previous owner had already been paid. I was fortunate as the mill was willing to help me.
“My father farmed on a very small scale. My mom was a health educator and would bring seeds home. My father would plant these and vegetables like tomatoes, carrots and umfino for the family. He would send extra produce to the nearby crèches and old age homes.
“He would buy chicklets and grow them for a few months before selling them. This would bring in money and there was also meat for us. He loved farming, and this planted a seed in me.”
As a young girl, Hlubi preferred to be with her father outside in the garden in Lamontville, Durban, rather than inside with her mother doing housework.
Now the young girl has grown into a strong black female farmer, who is spearheading transformation in the sugar cane sector.
The business science and administration graduate, who has four siblings, was nominated by the farmer body in Felixton to serve on the board of SA Canegrowers Association (Sacga).
“I thought I was there for my constituency as I was told that I was a land reform representative. But when I got to the board of Sacga in July 2015, I was told that I was not there for land reform.
“The result was land reform and small-scale farmer issues didn’t make it onto the board agendas. So, two of my fellow black board members Andile Buthelezi and Siyabonga Madlala, who had also been elected to the board as land reform and small-scale farmers, started talking about the challenges we were facing.
“We noticed that black executives were being ridiculed at board meetings. They were forced to retract their opinions and statements were changed. After three months we realised that this was not what we signed up for and we were being prevented from representing fellow black farmers.”
On November 25, 2015, Mam
Lee, Buthelezi and Madlala informed the Sacga Congress that they could no longer pretend to be served by the system that had been in place for almost a century.
“We walked out – and it was a leap of faith. I don’t think any one of us knew that there was such a big need for Safda at the time.”
A few days later, Hlubi became the first black woman to be elected deputy chairperson of a cane growers’ association, (Safda).
However, the sugar industry refused to officially recognise Safda as the Sugar Act only made provision for Sacga to represent sugar cane farmers in South Africa.
Safda took its case for economic transformation to Parliament. Last December, more than two years after the organisation was formed, Safda was given a voice – but not a vote – on the sugar industry council.
In October this year, the Department of Trade and Industry officially recognised Safda as a bona fide farmer representative organisation in the sugar industry.
A few weeks later, Hlubi became the first black female vicechairperson of Sasa.
Ronda Naidu is the spokesperson for Safda