BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Montigny Investments in Bhunya has employed 11 000 people in a space of 10 years of its existence in the country.
The employment of 11 000 workers goes a long way in helping Government to address the unemployment problem. This was said by Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane. She said this today (Thursday, July 18, 2024) when she visited the company’s offices in Bhunya. She said the purpose of the visit was to strengthen the relations between the company and Government.
Mkhonta-Simelane said Montigny operated within the forestry industry, which fell entirely within her Ministry. Therefore, it was imperative of her as the relevant minister to pay a courtesy visit to the company. Another reason was to link the forestry industry with tourism and environmental issues, as she believed that the three were inter-related.
The minister also mentioned that the company was one of the companies that would go a long way in helping Government to reach its goals. One of the goals of Government was to reduce unemployment in the country. Montingny, according to the minister, massively contributed on that aspect, as it employed 11 000 people in a space of 10 years. She said the company took over from SAPPI Usutu in 2024, when the latter closed down.
Mkhonta-Simelane further mentioned that the company also took care of the environment by recycling almost everything that it used. This act was also one of Government’s goals – to see the environment protected and clean so that future generations would find it. She also stated that the by-products generated by the company were used to produce electricity.
By so doing, Mkhonta-Simelane said Montingny helped Govenrment to generate more electricity. The minister said the country had a goal of ensuring that it generated enough electricity for itself and stop relying on other countries for such an important commodity. She said Montigny Investments was a big company, which came second the companies in the sugar industries. Because of this, Government needed to strengthen its relations with such companies so that lives for Emaswati could be better.
