LIMPOPO – The postponement of the Marula Festival build-up activities and the main open-air music festival in Ba-Phalaborwa, has dealt a severe blow to marula beer producers in Vhembe, particularly the Tshidimbini Cooperative, the only cooperative in the district that supplies marula beer to the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (Ledet) during the festival.

Tshidimbini Cooperative group leader Agnes Ralioma said the cancellation has turned life into a nightmare for the women who depend on the festival as their main source of income.

“The marula season is our money-boosting period. We used to smile all the way to the bank because we made good income by selling marula beer to the festival, local communities and even customers in Gauteng,” she said.

Ralioma said the cooperative was deeply disappointed by the decision, adding that members were worried because they had not yet been consulted on how government plans to support or compensate them for the loss of income. “This festival is our only source of money. We don’t know what will happen now,” she said.

Marula fruit ripens between January and March each year, and marula trees grow abundantly in the northern and north-eastern parts of Limpopo. The fruit has significant nutritional value and is used for brewing, food and cultural practices.

Explaining the decision to postpone the festival, Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba said Phalaborwa had been severely affected by recent floods.

She said key transport routes, 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, had suffered extensive damage.

“Phalaborwa remains in a sensitive phase of relief and early recovery. People have been without electricity and water for weeks, and we recently buried two young lives lost to the floods. Phalaborwa is still a place of pain,” said Ramathuba.

She added that funds earmarked for the festival would be redirected towards rebuilding the municipality, with additional support expected from the National Disaster Management Centre.

Meanwhile, Ledet spokesperson Zaid Kalla said the department is working on alternative ways to support marula cooperatives.

He said brewers would still be procured for Kuluma Vukanyi or Uluma Mukumbi cultural events planned across Limpopo’s five districts.

Kuluma Vukanyi, the celebration of the first marula fruit, is an annual traditional event that marks the start of the harvest and celebrates culture, heritage and the bounty of nature.