Sappi South Africa has been honoured for its contribution to the South African exports market after picking up the award for ‘Large Exporter’ at the 2019 KZN Exporter of the Year Awards ceremony.
The awards, currently in their 19th year, aim to celebrate successful entities within the exports market, with Sappi exporting nearly one million tonnes per annum (tpa) of dissolving wood pulp out of KwaZulu-Natal.
Commenting on the awards, Sappi CEO Alex Thiel said the awards reaffirmed Sappi’s commitment not only to the exports sector but also to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Economic Transformation Plan.
“Export competitiveness is one of the key pillars of Minister Mboweni’s plan and, as one of the world’s largest producers of dissolving wood pulp, Sappi exports about one million tpa for use in international textile markets, boosting the local KZN economy and advancing South Africa’s participation in the global value chain,” said Thiel.
Sappi moves more than 220 TEUs through the Port of Durban daily and has invested R7,7 billion at its Sappi Saiccor mill in Umkomaas
“The province of KwaZulu-Natal has always played a significant role in Sappi’s success and we are proud to have been recognised for the role we continue to play in growing the economy in the region by being recipients of these prestigious awards,” Thiel concluded. – Bjorn Vorster
