An internal investigation is underway into the costing and management of the Farmyard “container stores” project.
The Farmyard’s aim was to establish 16 container – style fresh produce stores, in Gauteng, to be used by small scale entrepreneurs.
An exorbitant amount of R36 million was paid, to secure one container for R1, 75 million.
Now Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development has suspended all further funding for the project in question.
While she submitted a formal deviation request to the National Department of Agriculture, an investigation is underway to uncover, the real cost of the project, an assessment of targets and the operational status of the containers.
Ramokgopa will also be meeting beneficiaries this week, to hear their side of the story.