The Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency, which has been financing the salaries of the embattled Magwa Enterprise Tea employees, has a new board.
The board, appointed by rural development and agrarian reform MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane, includes former premier Mbulelo Sogoni and is chaired by Dr Vanguard Mkosana.
The agency is attempting to wrest control of the estate, which employs about 1200 people, from a private company which falls under the Eastern Cape Development Corporation.
Mkosana said they had formulated a plan to turn Magwa into a profitable business.
“We are going to re-engineer the entity to a proper running business,” he said.
The agency would also work with rural areas to build dams that could retain water during times of drought.
The board has a high-impact programme planned for the development of agriculture in the province, said the Dutywa-born Mkosana, who holds a doctorate in journalism from the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
“We must diversify our investment, especially in the Magwa Enterprise Tea area,” he said.