MBOMBELA – The Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA) has noted the Democratic Alliance’s planned picket regarding the Mpumalanga International FoodMarket (MIF).
Reacting to a Democratic Alliance’s statement, it issued a statement thus: “While every political party is entitled to express its views, the Department rejects attempts to create a misleading impression that the Market has remained inactive due to government inaction.
“If anything, such claims disregard the extensive technical, regulatory and operational work that has been undertaken over the past several months to ensure that this strategic provincial asset commences operation on a sustainable, compliant and commercially viable footing.”
DARDLEA states that a political campaign should accurately identify the institution on whose behalf it claims to advocate.
“From the outset, the Department adopted a deliberate and responsible phased commissioning strategy. A facility of this scale and technical complexity could not simply be opened by political announcement. It requires successful commissioning, integration and stabilisation of multiple interdependent systems that encompasses industrial refrigeration, cold storage infrastructure, electrical systems, utilities, building management systems, security platforms, ICT infrastructure, food lab testing and handling environments”
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According to the department, a number of statutory compliance inspections, certifications and operational accreditations could only be completed once these systems had been fully commissioned and demonstrated stable performance under live operating conditions.
That process has now reached a significant milestone. The most critical component of the entire operation—the Market’s cold chain infrastructure—is now operating optimally following comprehensive commissioning, testing and operational stabilisation.
“This achievement represents the foundation upon which the Market’s commercial operations will continue to expand. The confidence this has generated is already translating into commercial activity.The Market operator has, as of June 2026, successfully onboarded its first cold storage client, Green Farms Nut Co, with products now being stored in the facility. In addition, negotiations with two other major agricultural businesses in Mpumalanga are at an advanced stage regarding utilisation of the Market’s cold storage facilities.”
“To this end, the Market operator has already embarked on a structured recruitment plan in collaboration with the Department of Employment and Labour who have been identified as a key stakeholder in the process.This approach is intended to ensure that recruitment is conducted fairly, transparently and equitably, providing all suitably qualified South Africans with a meaningful opportunity to participate.”
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“Any attempt to infer or suggest that recruitment has only arisen because of political pressure is entirely incorrect.
“Planning for recruitment has been underway as part of the Market’s operational rollout plan and was intentionally aligned to the completion of the facility’s commissioning and compliance programme.”
“It would have been irresponsible and contrary to good governance to recruit staff on the scale envisaged before the facility had achieved the necessary operational stability, and before the required regulatory approvals and operational accreditations had been secured.”
“Responsible government does not create expectations of employment before the infrastructure is genuinely ready to sustain those jobs. Against this background, the timing of the Democratic Alliance’s picket appears less concerned with the actual operational progress of the Market than with attempting to claim political relevance immediately before the Department announces the next phase of recruitment and commercial expansion.”
DARDLEA confirms that the Mpumalanga International Food Market is operational and that critical infrastructure has been commissioned. Compliance milestones have substantially been achieved.
“Commercial clients are already utilising the facility’s cold storage capacity. Recruitment planning is underway, and the next phase of market expansion is proceeding in accordance with a structured implementation programme designed to ensure long-term sustainability rather than short-term political optics.”
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The department says remains focused on delivering a world-class foodmarket that will stimulate agricultural growth, expand market access, strengthen the provincial economy and create sustainable employment opportunities for the people of Mpumalanga while helping the country realise food security.
“The department will continue to communicate developments through official channels as additional operational milestones are reached,” concludes the statement.
