The provincial department of agriculture in the Eastern Cape called the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian reform has reported that R1.9 million was paid to Magwa tea plantation for the workers’ salaries in 2015/16. The province has indicated that this amount is what they could afford in the current financial year but there is a huge backlog. This project is funded through the equitable share and was never funded through the conditional grants. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) has been informed that a business rescue plan has been developed which indicates that at least R66 million is needed to turnaround the business, this figure includes outstanding payments due to workers. The DAFF welcomes the business rescue plan and will set up a team to verify this report by the province and determine the actual outstanding payments to workers as well as support the province in its bid to get additional funding to support the project. It is stated that the business is currently not profitable and no assurances can be made for workers to be paid their salaries on time under current situation.