- MTPA has not taken disciplinary measures against officials found to have contravened policies and procedures in the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountain investigation report.
- The Portfolio Committee on Economic Development orders MTPA to take disciplinary action against the official liable to implement the findings of the investigation report.
- Premier’s office and the HAWKS are mum on the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountain investigation report.
25 August 2026
Release: Immediate
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga calls on Premier Mandla Ndlovu and the Provincial Government to immediately act on the findings of a classified forensic investigation that implicated senior officials in a R380 million ghost tender linked to the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountain Heritage Site.
More than a year after the report was submitted, no meaningful action has been taken, and those implicated have yet to face consequences.
A classified forensic investigation report conducted within MTPA and submitted to the Mpumalanga Provincial Government and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) as far back as May 2025, recommended that the Mpumalanga Government and MTPA Board should take action, and consider reporting former Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mduduzi Vilakazi, and other senior MTPA officials, to the police for their alleged involvement in the R380 million ghost tender in connection with the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountain World Heritage Site.
The 103-page forensic report painted concerning and damning pictures of manipulated tenders, unlawful approvals, and wasted millions withing MTPA in relation to the supposedly R380-million upgrades and renovations at the Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site in Barberton. This included the construction of a Visitor’s Information Centre, but there is little to show onsite.
In his capacity as CEO, Vilakazi was accused of the following: irregular appointments of service providers, and non-compliance with regulations in the implementation of several projects. These include the upgrading of the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains Geotrail, compilation of the Integrated Management Plan (IMP), development of the Visitor Information Centre (VIC), and the installation of directional signage for the World Heritage Site. Overall, these were R380 million projects.
In one of the matters, Vilakazi was also accused of failing to ensure that processes were followed in the appointment of Vuxaka Consulting Engineers for the construction of the VIC.
The report also recommended that the board consider taking appropriate steps to recover R9,8 million suffered by MTPA because of payments made to Vuxaka Consulting Engineers by Vilakazi and the other officials.
In a report dated 21 August 2026, the acting CEO of MTPA, Lemmy Mdluli and Board Chairperson, Fish Mahlalela, reported to the Portfolio Committee of Economic Development and Tourism that they acknowledged that they have not yet taken disciplinary measures against officials implicated in the forensic report. They said that they submitted the report to the office of the Premier, Mandla Ndlovu, the SIU, and the HAWKS, Provincial Treasury, and the Provincial Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, requesting guidance on a way forward. They reported to the committee that they still have not received any form of feedback up to date.
On their part, the MTPA reported to the committee that to ensure procedural fairness and compliance with applicable labour legislation, representation letters were issued to the implicated officials, affording them an opportunity to respond to the findings of the forensic investigation report.
They reported that management of the MTPA has received the representations from the implicated officials, and they are still in the process of preparing a report to submit to the MTPA Board for consideration and direction.
The DA calls on Premier Mandla Ndlovu to explain why no action has been taken on the findings of the forensic report and to ensure that disciplinary and criminal processes proceed without further delay. Public funds cannot be lost without consequences. We believe that there must be consequences for the financial mismanagement and irregularities that took place within MTPA under Vilakazi’s management.