The DA in Mpumalanga finds it extremely concerning that the provincial Agri-Hubs in both Mkhondo and Dr. JS Moroka Local Municipalities still remains a pipe dream to local farmers. Construction of these hubs started nine years ago in 2013.
Once completed, these Agri-Hubs are supposed to help commercial and small scale farmers supply fresh produce to the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market for local internal and international distribution.
Initially, the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Administration (DARDLA) announced that construction of these projects would take only 12 months. It has been 9 years now, and there are no signs that the projects will be operational anytime soon, as was revealed during oversights conducted by the DA. That these promised projects are not coming to fruition, is demoralising to the farmers in the province.
Our recent oversight revealed both of the Agri-Hubs were still not in a position to make a valuable contribution to farming in the province.
At the Agri-Hub in Mkhondo, it was discovered that although the actual building has been completed, none of the operational equipment has been installed. It is therefore not functioning. There was however security who presided over the empty building.
At the Agri-Hub in Dr JS Moroka, the DA discovered that much like Mkhondo, only the actual building has been completed. This time there was no security present which increases the risk of the building being stripped and vandalized.
These Agri-Hubs are in line with the ANC in Mpumalanga’s trend of starting big capital projects with no clear and concrete plan. This act allows for impact assessment studies to be conducted multiple times, tender bids to be rigged and supplier databases to be manipulated.
The agricultural sector is one of Mpumalanga’s biggest employers so it is vital that any project geared towards creating sustainable jobs is managed efficiently. Any indication of corruption must be rooted out before it affects the projects and job creation.
In our commitment to creating jobs and rooting out corruption, we will continue to push for answers on these Agri-Hubs and all other government projects that are established for the purpose of looting state coffers.