By Lazarus Mabasa, tel; 012 314 2175

Water Affairs and Forestry Minister, Buyelwa Sonjica will tomorrow in Pretoria, sign the forestry lease agreement between Governments, MTO Forestry and Amatola Forestry companies to allow them rent part of the country’s forests.

The signing of the lease agreements will enable MTO Forestry to lease approximately 115 015 hectares of state forest land situated in the Western and Southern Cape.

The bidder of the package is Cape Timber Resources, which is a BEE company comprising of Cape Sawmills and Wild Peach Investment Holdings.

And the signing of the Amatola lease to the Amatola Forestry Company will involve approximately 25 000 hectares which comprises of the state forestland situated near Hogsback and Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape.

The bidder of the package is Amatola Forest Holding, which includes BEE partner, Wildbreak investment.

The agreements are third and fourth lease of the category. The others being Singisi which was signed in July, Siyaqhubeka in September 2001 and Komatiland, the fifth lease which is currently being finalised.—BuaNews