Mpumalanga Fresh Produce Market Faces Uncertainty

Earlier this month, Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu gave Khethiwe Moeketsi, the current MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA), a two-week deadline to open the province’s long-delayed fresh produce market.

This placed the expected launch on Friday, 1 August. However, an insider at DARDLEA has since confirmed that the market will not open on that date, and a new official opening date remains unconfirmed.

The Mpumalanga government maintains that the market will boost the local economy, attract regional and international investment, create jobs, and empower women and communities.

However, agricultural sector leaders remain critical. They question the necessity, scale, and cost of the project, especially given the low volume of vegetables produced in the surrounding area.

“Most of Mpumalanga’s fruit is exported and does not require a local fresh produce market,” said a source close to the project.

The government has claimed the market will serve as a sales point for macadamia nuts, since Mpumalanga is South Africa’s largest producer. However, over 95% of the nuts are exported, often processed within the province and not traded locally.

Tersia Marshall, the DA’s spokesperson for DARDLEA, was sharply critical, calling the project a “multibillion-rand piece of nothing” that is “not going to help Mpumalanga” and risks becoming another white elephant.

She said the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market (MIFPM) was supposed to support produce from government-backed agrihubs, but these hubs never became operational.

“Farmers haven’t received the skills or tools to farm. Some have even bought produce from Makro to resell at the market,” she added.

Marshall also warned that a market of this magnitude needs consistent, high-volume supply to survive.

“You can’t run a massive facility on a few bunches of spinach from emerging farmers every other week,” she said.

The MIFPM has faced numerous operational and administrative issues since its development began.

The DARDLEA allegedly failed to pay municipal utility bills, resulting in the City of Mbombela cutting off electricity to the facility. A temporary solution was arranged with adjacent landowners to supply power.

In addition, when the property was purchased, the necessary water rights were not transferred, a legal oversight that has further delayed progress.

“This should have been addressed from the beginning,” said Marshall, “but it was only picked up at the start of the year.”

As pressure mounts and costs continue to rise, many are questioning whether the MIFPM will ever function as intended or if it will become yet another costly failure in the province’s agricultural sector.