MATJHABENG – More than R52 million in public funds was invested in the Virginia Mega Poultry Project in Matjhabeng, but the facility intended to create jobs and transform agricultural ownership for local youth has been left gutted and stripped of its infrastructure.
Roy Jankielsohn, Leader of the Opposition in the Free State Legislature, has criticised the project as an example of government investment that failed to deliver on its promises of sustainable employment, agricultural development and economic opportunities for local beneficiaries.
The project, situated in Virginia, near Meloding, was constructed between 2014 and 2017 with funding allocated over three financial years. Government invested R30 million in 2014/15, R9 million in 2015/16 and a further R13 million in 2016/17, bringing the total investment to R52 million.
R52 million invested over three years
The facility was intended to benefit 17 local youth — 14 women and three men — as part of efforts to transform ownership in the agricultural sector and stimulate the local economy.
Designed to accommodate up to 200 000 broiler chickens per production cycle, the project comprised five poultry houses, each with a planned capacity of 40,000 birds.
However, the project encountered operational challenges, including high chick mortality rates, a lack of established markets, missing infrastructure such as decontamination showers, and shortages of essential management and technical skills.
An oversight visit by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in 2018 reportedly identified several problems at the facility. According to Jankielsohn, these concerns were not adequately addressed by the Free State Department of Agriculture.
The site has since deteriorated significantly, with much of its infrastructure reportedly vandalised or removed. The condition of the facility raises questions about the protection of public assets and the long-term sustainability of government-funded agricultural projects.
Jankielsohn said a private company offered to partner with the government in 2020. He argued that such an arrangement could have brought management expertise, technical skills, access to markets and opportunities for local job creation.
Private-sector partnership never materialised
A successful partnership, he said, could also have helped the project become financially sustainable and less dependent on government support.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has described the Virginia Mega Poultry Project as a costly failure that has dashed the hopes of its intended beneficiaries and failed to deliver the anticipated benefits to communities in Virginia and Meloding.
The party maintains that agricultural development initiatives must be supported by the necessary skills, effective management, market access and proper oversight if they are to create lasting jobs and contribute to food security.
Jankielsohn said the DA would continue to scrutinise government-funded projects in the Free State as part of its oversight responsibilities.
The project’s condition leaves a significant question hanging over the R52 million investment: what tangible and lasting benefits has it delivered to the young people and communities it was intended to serve?
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