Oppose the closure of the Tulbagh canning factory
The Issue
The heart of Witzenberg beats with the livelihoods of our community, and one of its most vital organs is the Premier Foods (Fruit Products Western Cape) Plant in Tulbagh. The proposed closure of this factory threatens not just the jobs of many hardworking locals but the very fabric of our community. This factory has stood tall as a pillar of economic activity, providing employment and sustenance to countless families in Tulbagh and beyond.
Imagine the echoing silence that will follow the factory's closure, leaving behind empty streets, struggling local businesses, and families grappling with uncertainty. This is not just about saving a building; it’s about preserving the lifeline of our community. Without this plant, the local economy faces a grave threat, losing not only jobs but also the spirit of a community that has grown around it.
We demand that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) immediately appoint a qualified business rescuer to evaluate the financial health of the Tulbagh canning factory. This assessment should not only consider the plant's records but should also encompass a thorough examination of the entire canning industry. An informed report should be tabled, providing viable options to preserve the factory and prevent the collapse of our local economy.
Verifiable statistics show that more than 400 individuals are directly employed by the plant, with numerous ancillary businesses benefitting indirectly. The ripple effects of a closure extend far beyond the factory walls, impacting everyone from suppliers to local retailers.
Premier Foods has historically contributed significantly to the local Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Without it, our town will experience an economic downturn that may take years to recover from, if ever. It's not just a matter of numbers; these are real families, real lives, and the atmosphere of a community at stake here.
We call upon every individual, from families relying on these jobs to local leaders and the wider South African community, to stand together in this mission to save Tulbagh's canning industry.
Sign this petition to urge the government to act in the public interest, ensuring that community livelihoods are not cast aside without thorough examination and effort to preserve them. Let us rally together, save jobs, and sustain the local economy for generations to come. Every signature counts in our fight to save Tulbagh.
COMMUNITY PETITION
Opposing the Proposed Closure of the Premier Foods (Fruit Products Western Cape) Plant, Tulbagh, on Public Interest Grounds
To:
1. The President of South Africa
2. The Board and Executive Management of Premier Foods Group Limited
3. The Competition Commission of South Africa
4. The Competition Tribunal of South Africa
5. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA)
6. The Western Cape Provincial Government
(Department of Economic Development and Tourism)
7. The Witzenberg Local Municipality
8. The National Department of Employment and Labour
9. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition
10. The South African Human Rights Commission
11. Nedlac (National Economic Development and Labour Council)
12. The Cape Winelands District Municipality
13. The International Labour Organization
Background
Premier Foods Group ('Premier') acquired Rhodes Food Group Holdings in March 2026. As a condition of the Competition Tribunal's approval of that merger, Premier undertook a three-year moratorium on merger-specific retrenchments, with retrenchments occurring during that period presumed to be merger-specific unless Premier proves otherwise.
In August 2026, less than six months after the merger was approved, Premier initiated a Section 189 consultation process proposing the controlled closure of the Fruit Products Western Cape plant in Tulbagh. This proposal places at risk approximately 3,500 permanent and seasonal factory jobs, more than 2,000 permanent farmworker positions, and the livelihoods of roughly 200 commercial fruit producers and their suppliers, who together supply approximately R300 million worth of produce to the plant annually.
The undersigned residents, workers, growers, suppliers and community members of Tulbagh and the wider Witzenberg region, and surrounding towns, record our profound concern and dissatisfaction with this proposed closure, and call for it to be halted pending full and lawful investigation.
Exclusion of Seasonal Workers, Gendered Impact and the Wider Value Chain
Premier Foods' Section 189 consultation process has reportedly excluded seasonal workers entirely, treating them as outside the scope of consultation despite the closure directly ending their livelihoods. This exclusion is difficult to justify given the nature of the workforce it affects: many seasonal workers have returned to the plant year after year for 20 to 30 years or more, forming a stable, long-serving part of the operation in substance even where their contracts are structured as seasonal. Labour of this duration and regularity functions, in practice, as ongoing employment, and excluding these workers from consultation denies them a voice in a decision that affects them as materially as it affects permanent staff.
The impact falls disproportionately on women, who make up most of the seasonal workforce at the plant. Their exclusion from consultation therefore compounds an already gendered vulnerability, leaving the group most exposed to the closure with the least formal standing to contest it or negotiate its terms.
Treating decades-long seasonal workers as 'non-employees' for consultation purposes raises serious human-rights concerns. It risks denying long-serving workers’ rights that would ordinarily attach to their years of service, including a voice in decisions affecting their livelihoods, fair process, and access to remedies such as retrenchment consultation, severance, and support. Where this exclusion falls predominantly on women, it also raises concerns about indirect gender discrimination in how the process has been structured.
The closure's effects extend well beyond the factory floor. Around 200 commercial fruit growers and more than 2,000 permanent farmworkers depend on the plant as their primary buyer, together supplying roughly R300 million worth of produce annually; losing this market threatens both grower income and the farmworker jobs that depend on it, with produce already committed to the current season left with nowhere to go. The same is true for the wider network of companies that deliver goods and services to the plant, including transport and logistics operators, packaging and input suppliers, maintenance and equipment contractors, and other local businesses whose work is tied to the plant's operations. None of these groups were party to the Section 189 process, yet closure would strip away their income just as directly as it would the plant's own workforce.
Grounds of Objection — Public Interest
1. The proposed closure raises a reasonable concern that it breaches the retrenchment moratorium attached to the Competition Tribunal's approval of the Premier–Rhodes merger and should not proceed while the Competition Commission's investigation into this question remains unresolved.
2. The closure threatens the economic survival of Tulbagh and the wider Witzenberg region, given the scale of direct and indirect livelihoods dependent on the plant, extending far beyond the workers employed inside it.
3. Reports that a potential investor was approached but not meaningfully followed up raise concern that genuine alternatives to closure, including retention of the business as a going concern, have not been fully and fairly explored as required by law.
4. Local commercial producers stand to lose long-term supply arrangements and face being left without a market for produce already committed to the current season, with serious knock-on effects for farm workers and rural livelihoods.
5. Essential government and financial services relevant to affected workers, including UIF offices and banking facilities, are not available locally in Saron, Gouda, Wolseley or Tulbagh, compounding the hardship a sudden loss of income would cause.
6. The scale of the proposed job losses, and their concentration in a small rural town with few alternative sources of employment, constitutes a matter of significant public interest warranting the fullest scrutiny of the decision and its justification.
Our Demands
1. Premier Foods immediately suspend the Section 189 consultation process pending the outcome of the Competition Commission's investigation into whether the proposed closure breaches the merger moratorium.
2. That, before any final decision is taken, Premier Foods fund and commission an independent socio-economic impact assessment — conducted by an independent party with no financial or other interest in the outcome — covering the effects of closure on the plant's workers, growers, farmworkers, suppliers and service providers, and the wider Tulbagh and Witzenberg economy, and that its findings inform the full and fair consideration of all options, including alternatives to closure.
3. That Premier Foods provide full transparency on, and re-engage in good faith with, any investor or alternative-ownership proposals capable of keeping the Tulbagh plant operating, including a worker or community ownership model.
4. That the Competition Commission and Competition Tribunal treat this matter with urgency, given the imminent conclusion of the statutory consultation period, and enforce the public interest conditions attached to the merger.
5. That the Western Cape Provincial Government and Witzenberg Municipality make formal representations to the Competition Commission and Tribunal in support of the affected communities.
6. The establishment of an emergency local socio-economic support plan.
7. That the National Department of Employment and Labour and Productivity SA be engaged to explore turnaround, training-layoff, or other job-saving interventions before any final decision to close is taken.
Declaration
By signing below, we the undersigned confirm our support for this petition and our call for the proposed closure of the Premier Foods Tulbagh plant to be halted and fully reconsidered in the public interest.
Each signatory confirms that the details they provide are true and their own, and that they add their name in support of this petition of their own free will.
42
The Issue
The heart of Witzenberg beats with the livelihoods of our community, and one of its most vital organs is the Premier Foods (Fruit Products Western Cape) Plant in Tulbagh. The proposed closure of this factory threatens not just the jobs of many hardworking locals but the very fabric of our community. This factory has stood tall as a pillar of economic activity, providing employment and sustenance to countless families in Tulbagh and beyond.
Imagine the echoing silence that will follow the factory's closure, leaving behind empty streets, struggling local businesses, and families grappling with uncertainty. This is not just about saving a building; it’s about preserving the lifeline of our community. Without this plant, the local economy faces a grave threat, losing not only jobs but also the spirit of a community that has grown around it.
We demand that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) immediately appoint a qualified business rescuer to evaluate the financial health of the Tulbagh canning factory. This assessment should not only consider the plant's records but should also encompass a thorough examination of the entire canning industry. An informed report should be tabled, providing viable options to preserve the factory and prevent the collapse of our local economy.
Verifiable statistics show that more than 400 individuals are directly employed by the plant, with numerous ancillary businesses benefitting indirectly. The ripple effects of a closure extend far beyond the factory walls, impacting everyone from suppliers to local retailers.
Premier Foods has historically contributed significantly to the local Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Without it, our town will experience an economic downturn that may take years to recover from, if ever. It's not just a matter of numbers; these are real families, real lives, and the atmosphere of a community at stake here.
We call upon every individual, from families relying on these jobs to local leaders and the wider South African community, to stand together in this mission to save Tulbagh's canning industry.
Sign this petition to urge the government to act in the public interest, ensuring that community livelihoods are not cast aside without thorough examination and effort to preserve them. Let us rally together, save jobs, and sustain the local economy for generations to come. Every signature counts in our fight to save Tulbagh.
COMMUNITY PETITION
Opposing the Proposed Closure of the Premier Foods (Fruit Products Western Cape) Plant, Tulbagh, on Public Interest Grounds
To:
1. The President of South Africa
2. The Board and Executive Management of Premier Foods Group Limited
3. The Competition Commission of South Africa
4. The Competition Tribunal of South Africa
5. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA)
6. The Western Cape Provincial Government
(Department of Economic Development and Tourism)
7. The Witzenberg Local Municipality
8. The National Department of Employment and Labour
9. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition
10. The South African Human Rights Commission
11. Nedlac (National Economic Development and Labour Council)
12. The Cape Winelands District Municipality
13. The International Labour Organization
Background
Premier Foods Group ('Premier') acquired Rhodes Food Group Holdings in March 2026. As a condition of the Competition Tribunal's approval of that merger, Premier undertook a three-year moratorium on merger-specific retrenchments, with retrenchments occurring during that period presumed to be merger-specific unless Premier proves otherwise.
In August 2026, less than six months after the merger was approved, Premier initiated a Section 189 consultation process proposing the controlled closure of the Fruit Products Western Cape plant in Tulbagh. This proposal places at risk approximately 3,500 permanent and seasonal factory jobs, more than 2,000 permanent farmworker positions, and the livelihoods of roughly 200 commercial fruit producers and their suppliers, who together supply approximately R300 million worth of produce to the plant annually.
The undersigned residents, workers, growers, suppliers and community members of Tulbagh and the wider Witzenberg region, and surrounding towns, record our profound concern and dissatisfaction with this proposed closure, and call for it to be halted pending full and lawful investigation.
Exclusion of Seasonal Workers, Gendered Impact and the Wider Value Chain
Premier Foods' Section 189 consultation process has reportedly excluded seasonal workers entirely, treating them as outside the scope of consultation despite the closure directly ending their livelihoods. This exclusion is difficult to justify given the nature of the workforce it affects: many seasonal workers have returned to the plant year after year for 20 to 30 years or more, forming a stable, long-serving part of the operation in substance even where their contracts are structured as seasonal. Labour of this duration and regularity functions, in practice, as ongoing employment, and excluding these workers from consultation denies them a voice in a decision that affects them as materially as it affects permanent staff.
The impact falls disproportionately on women, who make up most of the seasonal workforce at the plant. Their exclusion from consultation therefore compounds an already gendered vulnerability, leaving the group most exposed to the closure with the least formal standing to contest it or negotiate its terms.
Treating decades-long seasonal workers as 'non-employees' for consultation purposes raises serious human-rights concerns. It risks denying long-serving workers’ rights that would ordinarily attach to their years of service, including a voice in decisions affecting their livelihoods, fair process, and access to remedies such as retrenchment consultation, severance, and support. Where this exclusion falls predominantly on women, it also raises concerns about indirect gender discrimination in how the process has been structured.
The closure's effects extend well beyond the factory floor. Around 200 commercial fruit growers and more than 2,000 permanent farmworkers depend on the plant as their primary buyer, together supplying roughly R300 million worth of produce annually; losing this market threatens both grower income and the farmworker jobs that depend on it, with produce already committed to the current season left with nowhere to go. The same is true for the wider network of companies that deliver goods and services to the plant, including transport and logistics operators, packaging and input suppliers, maintenance and equipment contractors, and other local businesses whose work is tied to the plant's operations. None of these groups were party to the Section 189 process, yet closure would strip away their income just as directly as it would the plant's own workforce.
Grounds of Objection — Public Interest
1. The proposed closure raises a reasonable concern that it breaches the retrenchment moratorium attached to the Competition Tribunal's approval of the Premier–Rhodes merger and should not proceed while the Competition Commission's investigation into this question remains unresolved.
2. The closure threatens the economic survival of Tulbagh and the wider Witzenberg region, given the scale of direct and indirect livelihoods dependent on the plant, extending far beyond the workers employed inside it.
3. Reports that a potential investor was approached but not meaningfully followed up raise concern that genuine alternatives to closure, including retention of the business as a going concern, have not been fully and fairly explored as required by law.
4. Local commercial producers stand to lose long-term supply arrangements and face being left without a market for produce already committed to the current season, with serious knock-on effects for farm workers and rural livelihoods.
5. Essential government and financial services relevant to affected workers, including UIF offices and banking facilities, are not available locally in Saron, Gouda, Wolseley or Tulbagh, compounding the hardship a sudden loss of income would cause.
6. The scale of the proposed job losses, and their concentration in a small rural town with few alternative sources of employment, constitutes a matter of significant public interest warranting the fullest scrutiny of the decision and its justification.
Our Demands
1. Premier Foods immediately suspend the Section 189 consultation process pending the outcome of the Competition Commission's investigation into whether the proposed closure breaches the merger moratorium.
2. That, before any final decision is taken, Premier Foods fund and commission an independent socio-economic impact assessment — conducted by an independent party with no financial or other interest in the outcome — covering the effects of closure on the plant's workers, growers, farmworkers, suppliers and service providers, and the wider Tulbagh and Witzenberg economy, and that its findings inform the full and fair consideration of all options, including alternatives to closure.
3. That Premier Foods provide full transparency on, and re-engage in good faith with, any investor or alternative-ownership proposals capable of keeping the Tulbagh plant operating, including a worker or community ownership model.
4. That the Competition Commission and Competition Tribunal treat this matter with urgency, given the imminent conclusion of the statutory consultation period, and enforce the public interest conditions attached to the merger.
5. That the Western Cape Provincial Government and Witzenberg Municipality make formal representations to the Competition Commission and Tribunal in support of the affected communities.
6. The establishment of an emergency local socio-economic support plan.
7. That the National Department of Employment and Labour and Productivity SA be engaged to explore turnaround, training-layoff, or other job-saving interventions before any final decision to close is taken.
Declaration
By signing below, we the undersigned confirm our support for this petition and our call for the proposed closure of the Premier Foods Tulbagh plant to be halted and fully reconsidered in the public interest.
Each signatory confirms that the details they provide are true and their own, and that they add their name in support of this petition of their own free will.
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on 23 September 2026