Dear Editor
The DA is appalled that the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs has confirmed that the R2 billion Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market still has no running water, and no electricity supply to operate, after 6-years of development and delays.
Enough is enough, and the DA will now pursue accountability through the office of the Premier, as it is clear that the Provincial Department of Agriculture, and its MEC, are not able to turn this ship around.
The delays and failures on this R2 billion project are a shocking indication of the poor planning and mismanagement which the ANC government in Mpumalanga continues to deliver.
In response to questions asked regarding the operationalisation of the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market, the department has confirmed that significant challenges still prevent the market from becoming operational, despite the province spending over R2 billion on the project to date.
The Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture has failed to pay the municipal account for utilities, resulting in the City of Mbombela disconnecting the electricity supply to the market. This gross neglect of obligations is not only irresponsible but also highlights the lack of oversight and accountability in the handling of public funds.
It is equally inexplicable that a R2 billion facility meant to support the province’s farmers and agribusinesses is expected to function without running water.
The Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market was intended to serve as a major economic driver for the province’s agricultural sector, offering support to local farmers and creating new opportunities in the fresh produce value chain, but the ongoing failure to operationalise the market is not only disappointing, but detrimental to the province’s farmers.
The DA calls on Premier Mandla Ndlovu, for urgent action to resolve these issues and ensure that the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market is fully operational.
Regards
Tersia Marshall: MPL
DA Spokesperson for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs
Natural Gold
Van is getting married, but he and his fiancee have never done the deed – in fact he\’s never been with any woman before. He\’s getting more and more nervous as the big day approaches, so he confides in his friend. His friend says \’No worries man. I\’ll come by the honeymoon suite before you guys get there, and I\’ll hide behind the curtain, and I\’ll whisper instructions to you.\’
\’You\’d do that for me?\’
\’Sure thing man!\’
So the wedding day arrives, it was a lovely service (so I was told, I wasn\’t there myself) and Van\’s friend sneaks into the honeymoon suite as promised and hides behind the curtain.
Van and his new wife arrive in the room, get settled on the bed, and things are getting steamy.
But Van is still super nervous and his tummy is bubbling, so he murmers to his wife, \’Listen babe, I\’m just gonna go to the bathroom quick. I think it\’s that wors roll from earlier.\’
\’Sure thing babe.\’
So Van goes into the bathroom, and he\’s taking quite a long time. And his wife is starting to feel the nerves herself. And it\’s getting worse. She can\’t hold it in. But she doesn\’t want to go after he\’s gone and totally ruin the mood. So she looks around and finally finds a shoebox. Quickly, she does her business in the shoebox, and she shoves it under the bed just as Van comes back from the loo.
Van gets back on the bed and they go at it again. But after a minute or so Van smells something not so lekker.
\’What\’s that smell?\’
\’Nothing babe,\’ he wife tries to assure him.
\’No man there\’s definitely something not so lekker in this room!\’VSo Van starts looking around the room, in the corners, in the cupboard, and finally he looks under the bed, and sees the shoebox.
He pull it out, and opens it up, and in horror he shouts \’Sies! Daar\’s kak in hierdie doos!\’
And from behind the curtain his friend yells, \’NEE MAN, DRAAI HAAR OM!\”
Dark Burn
Great dynasties of history
Egypt: Ayyubid
South Africa: Zulu
China: Ming
Greece: Helena
Italy: Medici
U.S.: Duck