MEC Seaparo Sekoati: Launch of 2014 Limpopo Marula Festival

Speech by Limpopo MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Mr. Seaparo Sekoati on the occasion of the media launch of Limpopo Marula Festival presented at CU Guest House

Executive Mayor of Mopani District Municipality, His Excellency, Cllr. Joshua, Matlou,
Mayor of Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, Her Excellency, Cllr. Anna Sono,
All Councillors present,
Chairperson of the LTA Board and other Board Members present,
CEO and Executive Management  of Limpopo Tourism Agency present,
All Tourism Stakeholders present,
All Government officials present,
Members of the Media present,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Let me at the outset of my presentation indicate that Limpopo Marula Festival is one of the events we will continue to celebrate under the “Celebrate With Us” segment of the Domestic Umbrella Marketing Campaign, which was officially launched in July 2012 seeking to galvanise the people of Limpopo and beyond to be part of the festivities of celebrating our rich culture and heritage as a province. 

Ladies and gentlemen, this we did as part of our innovation to grow tourism in the province in line with National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS), but most importantly to urge our people in the province to travel. We believe Limpopo Marula Festival will not disappoint as it is one of our important flagship events on the tourism calendar.

Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) has made a purposeful economic intervention by developing Cooperatives under the auspices of Limpopo Mukumbi Industries as a viable business industry within the province. The department took advantage of the vast concentration of Marula trees found mostly in the sub-tropical parts of the province.

A company registration was facilitated through LEDA on behalf of communities that are into the Marula industry. I am glad to announce that to date thirteen (13) cooperatives have been developed and registered as part of formalised community business structures that are now responsible for the management of the companies. These businesses have been registered with the registrar of Cooperatives through LEDA, which continues to support the sustenance of the businesses.

Ladies and gentlemen, Limpopo Mukumbi Industries were officially launched on the 4^th March 2006 at the inaugural Marula Festival hosted in collaboration with the Department of Sport and Culture (DSAC) at Muti wa Vatsonga. These companies have been the official supplier of the home brewed Morula/Mukumbi/Vukanyi beverage from 2006 until to date.

We are indeed heartened by the fact that the involvement of these registered Cooperatives had positive economic spin-offs on investment into the industry, which stimulated the employment of rural community members who assist with harvesting and transportation of the fruit annually depending on the demand from the organisers of the festival.

It is my belief that members of the media who were part of the tour we organised for yesterday and today have witnessed what I just alluded to.

Ladies and gentlemen, this was a purposeful intervention to utilise the festival as a draw card to attract domestic, regional and international tourists to Limpopo during the Marula season as well as to develop the festival as a marketable brand for Limpopo, and I am confident that we are on course to realising that objective as a province. When Macufe first started a few years ago, most of the people did not believe it could grow into what it is today.

Our intention as a province is to grow this brand to the level of the German’s Oktober Beer Festival. This is the reason why we undertook a fact-finding mission to Germany (at the Munich Oktoberfest) in an endeavour to enhance our knowledge and skills on how a festival of this nature can be conducted on a sustainable basis. The fact finding mission of the German’s Oktober Beer Festival in October 2006, commonly known as the “Wiesn”, was undertaken in an endevour to take Limpopo Marula Festival to greater heights thereby becoming a sought after brand in the country.

Limpopo Marula Festival is done in line with and guided by the prescripts of the National Development Plan, while its growth and surrounding infrastructure in Ba-Phalaborwa Municipal area are a direct response to national policy focus on Rural Development.

Given LEDET’s mandate of economic development, special focus will in future be directed to Enterprise development with particular reference to product ownership and development of export markets.

To date, the festival is able to attract more than 30 000 revellers from most parts of the country including South Africa’s neighbouring SADC countries, such as Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, and Mozambique.

The event is undoubtedly one major contributor of the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality’s economy, while it significantly also contributes to the economy of the province.

We are optimistic that the town of Phalaborwa with its capacity of more than 1400 beds will be fully booked due to this event and this is good news for the tourism and hospitality sector in Limpopo province. Our wish is to see a proliferation of tourism products in the area thereby growing tourism in the district. 

We are confident that the festival will continue to grow in bounds given the partnerships with other key stakeholders like Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, Provincial Government, National Department of Tourism, Department of Arts and Culture nationally and the private sector.

The town of Phalaborwa has been chosen the permanent home of the festival because of its tourism profile and proximity to other major tourist destinations including the world’s renowned Kruger National Park incorporated within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park which includes Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

We are making a clarion call to all and sundry to descend to Phalaborwa to celebrate this unique and rich Marula Heritage event with us from 22 Feb to 1 March 2014. We wish to plead with music revellers and all who will be part of these festivities to continue supporting tourism in the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality and Limpopo province in general.

The weeklong festivities will on 22 Feb 2014 commence with the music concert that will feature household names such as DJ Ganyani, DJ Oskido, Uhuru, Professor, DJ Brian, Magubane De’ Franchise and many more. The festival will on the 1^st March 2014 culminate in the open air festival that will feature Stimela, Ringo, Joe Shirimani, Yvonne Chakachaka, Worship House, General Muzka and other local artists.

Activities of this weeklong festival are lined up as follows:

I thank you!