Tulbagh Factory Reopens After Temporary Closure

RFG’s fruit canning factory in Tulbagh has reopened today after being closed for four days for deep cleaning and decontamination following nine employees testing positive for Covid-19 over the past three weeks.

On Friday 8 May the Department of Employment and Labour (DOL) ordered the company to close the factory and contract a third-party service provider to conduct a deep clean of the site. The DOL has subsequently confirmed that the company’s internal cleaning protocol meets its requirements and that it is not necessary to use an external cleaning company in the event of a positive Covid finding in a factory.

Operations at the factory are being resumed on a phased basis to protect employees and provide a safe working environment.

“While the closure has been disruptive to our canning process and we have a national imperative to supply food products during lockdown, we cannot and will not compromise the safety of our employees,” said CEO Bruce Henderson.

RFG is one of the largest employers in the Witzenberg region which has recorded over 170 positive cases of Covid-19. “Being located in this Covid-19 hotspot is a major
challenge and the fact that we have restricted the number of positive cases at our factory to nine bears testimony to the effective practices and protocols being followed by our management team on site,” he said. Refer to https://www.rfg.com/media-relations/ for further Covid-19 related news releases.