SOUTH African Breweries (SAB) has been commended by eThekwini Municipality mayor Mxolisi Kaunda for the R240-million investment the company has made into its plant in Prospecton this year.

When plans for the investment were announced in November 2022, SAB spokesperson Kanyisa Ndyondya said it was geared towards expanding the plant and creating additional jobs in the beer value chain of the city and the province.

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Mayor Kaunda met with SAB management on October 19 and expressed his pleasure that SAB continues to expand its investment in the city. He said this was critical to creating sustainable jobs.

“Today we are witnessing the expansion of a plant that is currently employing over 500 people. This company has been a household name, not only in Durban but in the country since its inception 127 years ago. Of these years of operation, 49 have been spent in Durban, nurturing small businesses in the form of distributors, and creating much-needed jobs,” said Kaunda.

He also thanked the management of SAB, saying that despite Covid-19 and the 2021 riots and floods, it has decided to retain and expand its operations in the city.

“This is a clear demonstration that if we collaborate as social partners, a great deal can be achieved,” he added.

SAB’s regional director Nkanyiso Mncwabe said that during this year’s South Africa Investment Conference, the company pledged to invest R5.8 billion. He said of that amount, R240 million has been spent on the expansion of the Prospecton plant.

“In KwaZulu-Natal, SAB directly employs 572 workers of which Prospecton accounts for 50% of the total employment in the province. In 2019, SAB’s total impact amounted to R9.2 billion contributed to the country’s growth domestic product, which is equal to 1.1% of the province’s GDP. We invest over R20 million in socio-economic development annually. We are also glad that during the floods and civil unrest, we were able to retain jobs. We attribute that to the support we received from the municipality,” said Mncwabe.

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