About eight (8) community members from the Dipaleseng Municipality are being trained as greenhouse facilitators.
In addition, 75 people from the community, will participate in the Agripreneur Development Programme, in April 2026.
The project is part of the Grootvlei Climate Smart Horticulture Centre, officially launched on Wednesday.
The project is supported by Eskom, the Government of the Netherlands and the Mpumalanga provincial government.
It is implemented by a partnership among the Enterprising Africa Regional Network (EARN), the Mpumalanga Green Cluster, Seed2Feed Foundation, Holland Green Tech, Ridder, Bosman Van Zaal, Van der Hoeven / Van der Straaten Acampo, Svensson, and Control Union.
As Eskom’s Just Energy Transition (JET) Programme, it is expected to demonstrate repurposed energy-related infrastructure (Grootvlei power station) can truly support future-oriented economic activity beyond the energy sector.
The launch was attended by Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity and Energy, representatives of the Netherlands, and provincial and local municipal leadership, the Eskom Board, Eskom leadership and representatives, and the local community.
Roald Lapperre, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, said “I believe in measuring progress not only in numbers, but in economically engaged people.”
He said the Centre is designed to connect local and international stakeholders across the agricultural value chain, strengthening resilience and preparedness for economic and climate challenges.
Picture: Supplied