MBABANE:Sihle Mavuso,the Spokesperson of Montigny Investments says,the forestry company never stopped emaSwati’s businesses from selling timber at Richards Bay-South Africa.
Responding to this Swaziland News on Monday evening,after businessman Mavela Sigwane of the Federation of Eswatini Business Community(FESBC) reported the forestry company to the Eswatini Competition Commission(ECC)for allegedly blocking indigenous businesspeople from selling timber in South Africa,the Montigny Spokesperson described the claims by FESBC as spurious.
“Montigny rejects outright the spurious claims made by FESBC,and welcomes any investigation by the Eswatini Competition Commission.Montigny is proud of 20 years of empowering LiSwati-owned businesses and contractors, paying hundreds of millions of Emalangeni in taxes,and transforming the previously failed Usutu Forest operations into one of the most successful sawmilling operations in Southern Africa-now directly responsible for the employment of almost 10 thousand people.Any LiSwati is free to trade and sell their timber in South Africa, but because of border,logistics and import/export challenges,Montigny has facilitated the sale of hundreds of thousands of tons of community timber, benefitting thousands of informal growers,who would have no other option.One has to wonder how many jobs Sigwane has created,as he can’t even seem to hold down his own employment in the mining and sugar industries,and has been accused of harassing and scamming poor students with empty promises of non-existent jobs.I would have expected better from FESBC,”said the Montigny Spokesperson.
Montigny Forestry-Bhunya.