The Democratic Alliance (DA)  in Mpumalanga has expressed concern over the amount spent on the province’s International Fresh Produce Market. More than R2 billion has so far been spent on the construction of the facility that still remains closed years later.

Premier Mandla Ndlovu announced that the market would be opened at the end of July. However, the provincial Agriculture Department postponed the opening, citing technical administrative oversight.

[WATCH] The Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market in Mbombela has once again missed its deadline to begin operations. The over R2-billion facility was initially expected to open five years ago; however, it faced repeated delays and cost overruns. Premier Mandla Ndlovu… pic.twitter.com/fLzriEQjoM

— SABC News (@SABCNews) August 2, 2025

It is reported that the municipality is still considering by-laws which regulate the functioning of the market, but DA member of the provincial legislature Tersia Marshall says the problem is a shortage of suppliers.

“About R1.8 billion was spent, but more funding has been made available for the market to get it operational, and that amount has been in excess of R400 million. So, if you calculate that, it’s far over R2 billion that was spent here, and this market is still not operational. Our biggest concern is that we don’t have suppliers, we don’t have farmers that can supply this market. If you look at the size of the market and what it was built for, we don’t have that kind of supply in Mpumalanga.”

VIDEO | Mpumalanga’s International Fresh Produce Market remains closed: