LIMPOPO – The civic group, Concerned Phalaborwa Residents (CPR), has welcomed the postponement of the Marula Festival, which was scheduled to take place on March 7.

The Marula Festival is an annual cultural event with live music from top artists, traditional marula beer, community events, and boosts local tourism and economy. The main event is held at Impala Park Stadium in Phalaborwa, and this year would have marked the 20th anniversary of the event.

Premier announces decision

The postponement was officially announced by Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba during a media briefing in Polokwane on Thursday, February 5.

CPR, a group made up of organisations and groups such as Gatvol Phalaborwa, Let’s Change Ba-Phalaborwa, and other local stakeholders, had been calling for the suspension of the festival following recent floods that severely affected the town. The group argued that Phalaborwa needed time to recover before hosting major festivities.

A representative of CPR told the Herald that the organisation was pleased with the premier’s decision, saying residents were still “picking up the pieces” after the disaster. The group recently released a song, created using artificial intelligence, calling for the postponement of the festival.

“The cancellation is a victory for the people of this town, and we are glad that the premier brought sanity to an already insane situation,” the group said. “It did not make sense to host such festivities in a town where residents have gone for weeks without electricity and water, and where roads and bridges have been damaged.”

In her address, Ramathuba described Phalaborwa as “still a place of pain” and said the provincial government’s immediate priority was restoring dignity, safety, and essential services to residents.

Funds redirected to recovery efforts

She noted that several key access routes to the area had been severely damaged, including the R40 near Maseke Game Reserve, the R71 between Gravelotte and Phalaborwa, the R36 between Ofcolaco and The Oaks, and the R527 in Hoedspruit. The damage has limited access to essential services and disrupted daily life for residents.

“As a result, we have made the difficult yet necessary decision to postpone the build-up activities for the Marula Festival, including the main open-air music festival,” Ramathuba said.

She added that resources and funds originally allocated to the festival would be redirected towards rebuilding the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, in addition to financial assistance expected from the National Disaster Management Centre.

While acknowledging the festival’s significant economic impact on the local community, Ramathuba said the government had chosen to prioritise humanitarian needs over commercial interests.