Cheese factory closure will hurt Wesselsbron

Wesselsbron in the Free State will be hard hit by the closure of the Clover cheese factory and the loss of more than 90 jobs will contribute to the deterioration of the South African platteland, said Free State Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO) chairperson Koos Pienaar.
Clover plans to close its factory and incorporate the production of Tussers and gouda cheese into its Lichtenburg factory.
“Clover must optimise its operations to improve operational efficiency,” explained Clover deputy CEO Manie Roode. “But we will do our best to limit the negative impact of the closure and focus on retaining skills by transferring and redeploying staff. We’ve also offered voluntary severance and pension packages.”
The Clover milk depot in Wesselsbron will remain operational and its milk will be transported to Johannesburg and Lichtenburg in future.
But Pienaar insists the job losses will have a severe impact on the town. “The factory is one of the largest employers in the town and job losses will be a huge setback,” he explained.
The trade union Solidarity echoed his concerns, saying the closure will have a serious ripple effect on the community, largely dependant on the factory. A 60-day consultation period has already begun, during which Solidarity will consult with Clover in an effort to ward off retrenchments. – Annelie Coleman