Note to Editors: Please find English and Afrikaans soundbites by Roy Jankielsohn MPL and Sesotho soundbite by Jafta Mokoena MPL.
The R52 million Virginia Mega Poultry Project in the Free State Province is totally decimated. This project was meant to contribute to the transformation of agriculture in the Free State by giving ownership to 14 female and 3 male youth beneficiaries.
The Virginia Mega Poultry Project was constructed over three years, from 2014 to 2017. The financial investment by government into this project was R30 million in 2014/15, R9 million in 2015/16 and R13 million in 2016/17 financial years and meant to house 40 000 chickens. An NCOP oversight visit to the project in 2018 identified various problems in the project that were ignored by the Free State Department of Agriculture.
Currently, the project has been plundered to the extent that there is little visible evidence of its existence. The project was meant to create employment for the local community of Virginia and Meloding in the Matjhabeng Municipality. The project is another example of how large amounts of money have been spent on agricultural infrastructure with no intention of contributing to food security and local economic development.
The investment by the government in such projects has failed to bring about any visible transformation of the agricultural sector, and appears only to have been implemented for tender purposes only. This project remains another example of how the government’s transformation agenda dashes the hopes of local beneficiaries.
The necessary skills required to manage projects of this nature are not available within government. A private company offered to partner with government on this project in 2020. Such a partnership would have ensured the transfer of valuable experience, management skills, access to markets, local beneficiation and job creation, and long-term independence and financial sustainability of the project.
The DA will continue to probe and expose such projects in the Free State as part of our ongoing constitutional mandate to do oversight over the provincial government.