The multi-talented magnate who helped to lay the foundation of SA's sugar industry

Sir James Liege Hulett was a pioneer, philanthropist and politician who left his legacy spread across the sprawling sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal, and achieved much else besides. Graham Jooste tells his story.

James Liege Hulett was born in 1838 in Sheffield, England, the son of a schoolmaster, James Hulett and his wife, Mary (née Flashman). He completed his eduation in Kent, but was unable to find work, as the country was in recession after the end of the Crimean War (1853–56). A friend of Hulett’s father, who was a chemist in Port Natal, was looking for an assistant and agreed to appoint the young man. Hulett arrived in Natal aboard the Lady Shelbourne in 1857 to commence his duties.

In 1860, having settled down in the colony and looking to better himself, he leased a 243ha farm in the Nonoti area. He had already taken note of the richness of the soil in Natal and its potential for growing produce.

Although just 22, Hulett had the foresight to realise that, as the area around the port expanded, fresh grain and vegetables would be in demand. He therefore experimented with maize, sweet potatoes, chillies, arrowroot and coffee, and also set up a trading store. His real breakthrough, however, came when he heard how easy sugar cane was to grow in the region. In fact, the crop had been grown on a small scale by the Zulu people before the arrival of the settlers. It was not until the start of colonisation, however, that success on a greater scale began to be achieved. The 1850s saw the introduction of the steam-powered sugar cane mill, led by George Morewood, a successful farmer to the south of Port Natal. But the fledgling industry still suffered from a major handicap: a shortage of labour. In 1860, this changed forever with the arrival of the first Indian immigrants, who were so-called indentured labourers.