Inside Daybreak — hunger, silence, bullets and betrayal at Delmas chicken farms

A humanitarian disaster is unfolding on two fronts at Daybreak Foods, a once-promising pillar of South Africa’s black economic empowerment dream.

Behind the wire fences of its broiler farms near Delmas, tens of thousands of chickens are starving, cannibalising one another in a grim descent into survival instinct. Beyond those fences, hundreds of workers – many now jobless, unpaid and desperate – are facing hunger, eviction and the slow collapse of their lives.

Over five consecutive days, more than 25,000 birds died across just two Daybreak sites. (Photo: NSPCA)

In a letter shared anonymously with Daily Maverick, an employee at Daybreak Foods, speaking on behalf of hundreds of affected workers, described a nightmare that stretches far beyond the poultry houses.

“We are facing starvation, eviction and despair,” the letter reads. “We have no income, no food, no transport money, no ability to pay rent, school fees, or debts. Some of us are already homeless. Management remains silent. Behind closed doors, unions signed off on this without employee consultation.”

The letter lays out a disturbing timeline:

• March & April:
  Employees were required to work weekends without overtime pay or lawful compensation. Behind closed doors, unions signed off on this without employee consultation. Workers complied out of goodwill and hope.


• 25 March:
  Salaries were delayed and paid on 28 March – without overtime or agreed allowances.


• April:
  No formal notice was issued to employees, but management privately indicated April salaries would not be paid in full. Staff were left in the dark.


• 22 April:
  An informal message was sent stating April salaries would be delayed, with no official date or clarity given. Shifts were cut and most workers were told not to report to work.


• 17 April:
  Despite ordinary workers receiving nothing, management and supervisors were paid.


• 2 May:
  Employees peacefully gathered at the Daybreak Foods gates to ask for answers. Mrs Tsepo Mosadi informed us that there was still no money and asked for time until 6 May.


• 6 May, no official appeared. Instead, a new site manager with no knowledge was sent. Daybreak refused to engage or speak.
  Employees attempted to force accountability. Police responded with rubber bullets, injuring many workers.

“We are being forced to return to work with no pay, under empty promises of backpay,” the letter continues. “This is no longer just labour exploitation. It’s a humanitarian crisis.”

Daily Maverick interviewed a whistle-blower, who wanted to remain anonymous: “This issue started in December when we were supposed to receive our ‘13th cheque’ or bonus, but it’s not really a bonus because we didn’t get one. They took the money that was meant for our leave – we don’t get anything when we go on leave; instead, they give it to us in December as a 13th cheque. So, the shortfall started there, when they paid that money bit by bit until it covered full weeks.”

Systemic and ongoing neglect were found at chicken farming operations run by Daybreak Foods. (Photo: NSPCA)

“In January, they paid us for overtime and allowances, but skipped a week before paying us. Then in March … we got half payments, only 50% of our salaries. In April, we didn’t get paid at all, but others still received payslips. They haven’t paid our UIF and provident fund contributions for February and March, and no one is communicating with the employees,” the whistle-blower told Daily Maverick.

The whistle-blower said in a telephonic interview that workers were now demanding an immediate investigation by Parliament’s Labour Portfolio Committee or the Public Protector, emergency food relief, official confirmation of the company’s business rescue or liquidation status, appointment of a Business Rescue Practitioner or liquidator, initiation of UIF processes, and legal assistance for injured and evicted employees.

A company in freefall

While workers go unpaid and hungry, Daybreak’s farms have spiralled into chaos. Last week, inspectors from The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) arrived at the company’s broiler operations after receiving reports of mass bird deaths. What they found defied belief.

Thousands of chickens, left without feed for days, had begun eating one another. Some were missing entire wings or chunks of flesh. Others were running in circles, chased by flockmates trying to peck at their open wounds. Mortality rates soared: by Saturday, more than 5,500 birds had been euthanised at just two farms. More were dying every day.

“It’s the worst I’ve seen in my career,” said Nazareth Appalsamy, an NSPCA inspector who has been on site since Friday. “We’ve had to cull birds in horrific conditions. It’s not farming. It’s neglect.”

Company spokesperson Nokwazi Ngcongo confirmed that feed shortages had triggered the cannibalism. A combination of unpaid suppliers, a halted abattoir and a power failure that knocked out a generator had cascaded into disaster. Birds that couldn’t reach slaughter weight were left stranded in overcrowded sheds, growing hungrier by the day.

“The cannibalism, which resulted from the feed shortages, was seen in some birds and they were culled as they appeared,” Ngcongo said in a statement.

But for the NSPCA, the situation is beyond isolated mistakes. It is systemic, the culmination of financial collapse, managerial disarray and regulatory failure. Criminal charges under the Animals Protection Act are now being prepared against the Daybreak board.

Who is accountable?

Once praised for its potential to transform South Africa’s poultry industry, Daybreak is now beset by debt, leadership resignation and accusations of mismanagement. In December, it failed to repay R42-million to its largest contract grower.

A R100-million emergency loan default followed. When the PIC turned down a R250-million bailout request in early 2025, Daybreak’s top leadership – including its CEO – walked away. In their absence, feed deliveries halted. Contracts fell through and both birds and people were left stranded in the wreckage.

In a press release in response to the situation on Wednesday, PIC said it was is deeply disturbed by the situation at Daybreak. It said it would continue to support the company with “capital allocations to provide liquidity … for the board and management to stabilise the business. It said it was engaging with Daybreak and other stakeholders “on an urgent basis to find a solution aimed at preserving the value of assets and, importantly, jobs in the company.”

These moves clearly hadn’t had an effect on employees: “No one has told us if we’ve been retrenched, dismissed or suspended. No UIF process has started. We are in limbo. And management is silent.”

“This is not just an animal welfare disaster,” said Appalsamy. “It’s a human welfare disaster. Workers are caught in the middle. They’re victims, too.”

The anonymous employee’s letter echoes that sentiment: “No one has told us if we’ve been retrenched, dismissed or suspended. No UIF process has started. We are in limbo. And management is silent.”

Under South African law, employers are required to follow formal procedures before retrenching staff, including consultation under Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act. No such process has occurred at Daybreak, the workers say. Nor have they received any termination letters or UIF paperwork enabling them to claim unemployment benefits.

Without income, some workers have already been evicted from their homes. They have no income, no food, no transport money, no ability to pay rent, school fees or debts “We need an immediate investigation by Parliament or the Public Protector,” the letter pleads. “We need urgent food relief. We need legal assistance.”

A silent crisis

Meanwhile, feed deliveries for chickens have resumed at some farms – but not others. Even the NSPCA isn’t sure how long the reprieve will last.

“Today, a farm might have feed,” said Appalsamy. “But in three days, it could be empty again. That’s the tragedy – we’re chasing a moving target.”

For contract growers – independent farmers raising chickens under Daybreak’s banner – the uncertainty is devastating. Many rely entirely on Daybreak for feed supplies and technical support. Now, they too are facing losses they can’t recover.

The stakes

Beyond the immediate suffering of workers and animals, Daybreak’s collapse threatens food security, economic stability and public trust. South Africa’s poultry industry, already battered by high input costs, avian influenza outbreaks, and cheap imports, can ill afford the loss of a state-funded player. If Daybreak goes under, competitors may not be able to absorb the sudden glut of stranded birds and growers.

Financial constraints

According to the employee letter, it is suspected Daybreak Foods may have applied for business rescue or liquidation but has refused to communicate officially or appoint a Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP). Meanwhile “management continues to pressure workers to return without pay, under vague promises of backpay.” Right now it doesn’t seem the company has the capital to fulfil that promise.

Responding to mounting claims and complaints, a Daybreak Foods statement “acknowledges the significant financial constraints currently affecting its operations. In light of these challenges, the board is exploring options to place the company into business rescue and requires shareholder participation and buy-in."

"The board has extensively communicated with the Public Investment Corporation, the company's shareholder, and made numerous requests for funding to support operations, including feed for birds and payment of salaries, and continues to engage the PIC in hope of a positive response," the company said.

Political concern

Alongside animal welfare concerns, political voices have raised the alarm. The Democratic Alliance in Mpumalanga has expressed concern over Daybreak’s failure to supply feed to local farmers, warning that this could trigger the collapse of the regional poultry sector and threaten food security.

“This catastrophic loss reported in Delmas not only impacts the affected farmer, but also signals a broader crisis that threatens to collapse the entire poultry sector in Mpumalanga. Daybreak is also contracted to the provincial department of agriculture to supply feed to several poultry farmers in the province.”

“The alleged failure of this supplier to uphold its obligations would, if found to be true, place immense pressure on local poultry farmers, who are already struggling to sustain their businesses and livelihoods,” the DA said.

Amid these unfolding challenges, a Daybreak worker told Daily Maverick that workers planned to protest again soon, though the date and time remain unconfirmed. DM

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