Here’s another good news story. Retrenched poultry workers have built a small but thriving business in Cato Ridge, near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, and they have plans to expand further.
It was in nearby Hammarsdale that nearly 1 300 workers were retrenched in 2017 after a Rainbow Chicken operation was cut back because of the impact of dumped chicken imports.
A group of workers has developed a co-operative poultry farm, with the support of the eThekwini municipality and the Department of Economic Development.
They are currently rearing 7 500 chickens and plan to expand to the plant’s capacity of 34 000. They might also branch out into egg production. Entrepreneurship at its best.
Image: Laid-off RCL worker Thokozane Thabete addresses the FairPlay Social Support Summit in 2017.
