Fresh produce market issues affect traffic again

Residents of Ward 14 say the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market (MIFPM) project is no longer beneficial to locals.

They are demanding the removal of the project manager, social facilitator, the steering committee and all Johannesburg-based companies awarded any contracts.

They also alleged that about 65 local people recently lost their jobs. On Wednesday morning, the protesters blockaded both lanes of the R37 (Mbombela-Lydenburg/Sabie), outside the market.

They said they are unhappy with the decisions allegedly made by the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA) and ENZA Construction, because locals were not benefiting anymore.

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“It is supposed to be 37 per cent of local SMMEs or subcontractors, however, there is not a single local SMME or subcontractor working with ENZA,” said a protester.

ENZA is the construction company that was appointed last year to build the MIFPM’s top structures.
According to Andrew Lekhuleni, a member of Sanco in the Ehlanzeni area, the community members and business owners of Ward 14 are not benefiting. Lekhuleni said they see people from Johannesburg and Durban benefiting.

“If you had to ask them where Mbombela Stadium or White River are, they would not even know where, and yet they are appointed to work on a local project, meanwhile the locals are not benefiting,” he said.
Some protesters alleged that if the MEC of finance, economic development and tourism, Pat Ngomane, had not allowed ENZA to bring in people from Durban, the local workers would not have lost their jobs.

Dr Mohau Ramodibe, the director of communication at the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, dismissed these allegations.

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“ENZA was appointed by MEGA and as such, the MEC is not privy to the terms and conditions of the appointment of the service provider. Therefore, it is not true that Ngomane has allowed the service provider to bring in people from Durban.

“The service provider was appointed fairly from a bid process which was advertised nationally and they won it. It therefore means they have a legally binding contract with MEGA, and the MEC cannot remove them willy-nilly.

“If he does this, he will be unnecessarily inviting legal action against MEGA or the department, which he will surely lose and consequently waste taxpayers’ money, leading to fruitless expenditure.”
Ramodibe said the MEC is resolute that local people must benefit from the project.

By the time of going to press, neither ENZA nor MEGA had responded to the enquiry put to them by Lowvelder.