R1.5 billion Mpumalanga Fresh Produce market faces delays again

The construction of the R1.5 billion Mpumalanga Fresh Produce market in Mbombela has been further delayed by another two years. This is due to non-payment to sub-contractors. The project is aimed at driving the economic growth of small-scale farmers and link them with international and local buyers. The fresh produce market was first mooted 12 years ago by the then Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza.

The Fresh Produce Market has been embroiled in many challenges since its inception.

The provincial government signed a bilateral agreement with a country in the Middle East. This was to enable it to export its agricultural produce to Oman. The Democratic Alliance (DA)’s Bosman Grobbler says their main concern is that more funds are being spent on this project beyond the anticipated costs.

“The amount of money spent by the provincial government on this project is really too much, we are seeing the changing of implementing agency quite a few times during the project and that is really a big concerned. Our main concern at the moment is there’s no work happening. The main contractor end up charging the government standing fee every month which means the project continues to cost us taxpayers money but there is no construction happening and there’s no deadline at the moment or aim when the project would finish,” says Grobbler

Globber says additional funding was injected into the project by the provincial government. The DA says the building will soon need renovations before the actual market starts its operations. Grobbler says the Fresh Produce Market was a brilliant idea but the challenge is accountability by government.

“The planning I suppose was good but really the management of the project, no accountability towards the main contractor and the small contractors who are always moving the goal post, always procurement orders change and really no commitment by the provincial government to push contractors to finish this project as we seal lot of building construction development in the province. It is unfortunately a place where corruption can take place with deviation of orders at any stage. So, the projects stand to cost us double and three times and four than what injected initial budget,” Grobbler reiterates.

But, the provincial Public Works Department has refuted claims by the DA that the project has stopped and no construction work is taking place.

“Let me indicate that the project is progressing very well. There’s no contractor that is owed at the moment all contractors that are supposed to be on side, they are currently working as I’m talking now. Issues of last time, there were challenges between the contractor and sub-contractors, those issues were ironed out seemingly there are no longer challenges so the project is progressing very well and we are expecting that it would be completed very soon,” Public Works spokesperson Bongani Dlamini explains.

The Department of Public Works was unable to state the time frame for the completion of this project.