EWN reports that workers at a fruit canning factory in Ashton are praying for investors step in to prevent its closure. In May 2020, Tiger Brands decided to sell the Langeberg and Ashton Foods factory and exit the deciduous fruit business.
A buyer could not be found, but the company has agreed to keep operating for another season, while it waits to hear from a number of potential buyers. According to one Ashton resident, she has been working at the factory for almost 24 years, but has only been permanent for 13 of them. Her husband is an employee too. The mother of two said her family's connection to the business went back generations as her parents and her grandmother also worked at the factory. "Oh wow, this factory means a lot because it's our bread and butter," she said. She indicated how she felt when she was informed of Tiger Brands' plans: "It's like a bomb that exploded in everyone's faces... really scared... you don't know what to do... so we were very very scared, fearful and angry. My prayer is that we get investors very, very urgently so that this factory's doors can be open because Ashton is a small town and we need this factory... and for one year, we can't sit back and relax."
- Read the original of the report in the above regard by Lauren Isaacs at EWN
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