The SA Sugar Association (Sasa) has announced that Sifiso Mhlaba, its head of trade policy, will assume leadership immediately following the retirement of Trix Trikam after 26 years as CEO.
Mhlaba, a highly regarded agricultural economist, becomes the first black person to head the organisation founded in 1943 and is also the youngest at 36 years old.
Holding an MSc in applied economics from Washington State University and an MBA from Stellenbosch University, he worked as a regulatory and competition economist at DNA Economics — a Pretoria-based consulting firm providing advice on energy, climate change and agriculture initiatives — before joining Sasa in 2015.
Mhlaba’s appointment comes as the sugar industry, which is grappling with the negative effects of the sugar tax, looks to push ahead with a sugar cane-based value chain diversification strategy to stay afloat.
Trikam, now 65 and retiring, first joined Sasa in 1981 as a clerical assistant, and was appointed CEO of the body in 1998.
“I am truly honoured to be stepping into Trix’s big shoes,” said Mhlaba. “Make no mistake, it is a huge task and massive responsibility.”
“I look forward to working closely with our internal and external stakeholders as we secure and ensure the sustainability of the industry, which makes a critical social and economic contribution to job-starved rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, where sugar cane growing and milling activities occur.”
Sasa represents the interests of growers and millers across the sugar value chain and oversees the handling of raw bulk sugar export marketing. It promotes the sustainability of the sugar industry, which is in turn a major source of income for about 2% of the population.
Welcoming the appointment, Sasa independent chair Fay Mukaddam, an advocate, said Mhlaba was the CEO Sasa needed now to take the industry to the next level.
Mukaddam said a focus on innovation, product diversification and transformation was required as Sasa prepared to spearhead the industry plan to rethink the commercial feasibility and prospects of cane.
“Sifiso has now taken the baton to build on Trix’s outstanding legacy and take Sasa and the industry to even greater heights,” said Mukaddam. “I call on all stakeholders including our government, industry role players, downstream users and all value chain partners to support our new CEO,” she said.
The sugar industry has called on the finance minister to declare a six-year halt on increases in the health promotion levy (sugar tax) to avoid a potential loss of almost 300,000 jobs and a total collapse of the industry.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana gave the industry a small reprieve in his budget in February 2023, announcing that the tax of 2.1c a gram of the sugar content exceeding 4g per 100ml would not increase for the next two financial years.
With this grace period set to expire in February, the association has urged the Treasury to extend it until 2030 if the sugar master plan, which aims to save the sector, is to have any chance of success.
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