The Willowton Group, a KwaZulu-Natal home grown company, has donated R1,5 million to support communities that were devastated by floods over the Easter weekend.

Director for the Willowton Group, Abdul Razak Moosa, said that as a family owned business, the suffering of the families in KwaZulu-Natal was very close to the company’s heart.

He said that the group’s donation to non-governmental organisation, Gift of the Givers, Africa’s largest disaster response NGO and the first to send volunteers to areas ravaged by the heavy rains, reflected the vision and purpose of Willowton.

Willowton Group, which was founded in KwaZulu-Natal in 1970, is one of South Africa’s leading edible oil processors and FMCG companies with well-known brands such as Sunfoil, Sunshine D, D’lite, Crown, WoodenSpoon, and Allsome rice.

“We are committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and there is no better feeling than giving back to the South African community. The aim is to make a meaningful difference and one that can be sustained into the future. We believe that this is a good opportunity to care for those that are unable to care for themselves,” he said.

“As people begin to pick up the pieces and the stories of those who have lost their homes and their belongings are no longer on the front pages of our newspapers, the true work begins. People quickly forget that rebuilding people’s lives requires resources. It is now when the greatest need usually emerges,” Moosa said when handing over the cheque to Gift of the Givers spokesperson, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman.

He said that Willowton Group believed that, because Gift of the Givers was known for working closely with the victims of natural disasters, it was well placed to assess what was needed and would allocate the funds accordingly.

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, thanked the Willowton Group for its contribution. “Many families have nowhere to go and are living in tents or in community halls at present. More than 230 homes have been badly damaged and even more will have to be completely rebuilt. It is through the generosity of people like the Willowton Group that they can still have hope.”

The Willowton Group regularly contributes to various religious, welfare and community organisations including the Community Chest (Pietermaritzburg), the Pietermaritzburg & Cape Town Society for the Blind, the Muslim Charitable Foundation, the Msunduzi Hospice and a number of schools in the KZN region that need funds for building projects, meals and other improvement projects.

The group also provides bursaries and loans to deserving students who are unable to fund their tertiary education and is well known for contributing towards sports development at grass roots level. This includes Sunfoil Township Cricket, an initiative that exposes children and teenagers living in townships and rural areas to cricket.

ENDS

ABOUT WILLOWTON GROUP

Willowton Group has been in operation since 1970 and has grown to become one of Africa’s leading edible oil processors, as well as one of the leading competitors in the South African FMCG market.

The group operates across South Africa with manufacturing facilities in Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Willowton Group has recently completed expanding its manufacturing operations into Zambia and Zimbabwe, with aspirations to further extend its reach to customers throughout Africa.

A wide range of products encompasses edible oils, rice, sugar, margarines and spreads, beauty, toilet and laundry soaps, candles, baking and industrial fats, often distributed through its subsidiary Willowton Logistics. The Group has recently entered the milling industry with the launch of D’lite Super Maize meal within Southern Africa. Well-known brands include, among others, Sunfoil, Sunshine D, D’lite, Crown, WoodenSpoon, and Allsome rice.

By combining flexibility and vision with a sound business approach, the company is set to strengthen its position in the FMCG market even further, now and into the future. 

This release has been prepared for Willowton Group.

From Left:

-       Abdul Razak Moosa â€" Director Willowton Group

-       Ali Akbar Moosa â€" Director & Chairman Willowton Group

-       Dr Imtiaz Sooliman â€" Founder & Chairman Gift of the Givers

-       Farouk Moosa â€" Director Willowton Group

-       Mohammed Rafeek Ismail â€" Director Gift of the Givers

-       Muhammad Sooliman â€" Director Operations Gift of the Givers