2026 Marula Festival postponed
The 2026 annual Marula Festival, which was scheduled to take place on 7 March in Phalaborwa, has been postponed.
Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba made the announcement during a media briefing, stating that the decision follows the devastating impact of recent floods in parts of the province.
Ramathuba said the government has resolved to redirect resources and funds that were initially allocated to support the festival towards urgent rebuilding efforts in the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality.
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The municipality is among the areas hardest hit by the floods, with infrastructure damage and community losses reported.
“Phalaborwa, the intended host, has faced significant challenges, with key routes leading into the area severely compromised,” said Dr Ramathuba.
“Key transport routes such as the R40 near Maseke Game Reserve, the R71 between Gravelotte and Phalaborwa, the R36 between Ofcolaco and The Oaks, and the R527 in Hoedspruit have incurred extensive damage. This deterioration has limited access to essential services and disrupted the lives of local residents.
Communities that are essential to the tourism sector have expressed deep concerns, as access issues between Phalaborwa, Hoedspruit, the Phalaborwa Gate of the Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canyon corridor have resulted in cancellations and reduced visitor activity,” she emphasised.
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“Thus, Phalaborwa remains in a sensitive phase of relief and early recovery, where our immediate focus is on restoring dignity, safety and essential services to residents. People of Phalaborwa have been without electricity for weeks, without water for weeks and we recently had to lay to rest two young lives who perished because of the floods. Phalaborwa is still a place of pain
“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. We have decided to take all the resources and funds that were aimed at supporting this festival should be re-directed towards rebuilding Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality. This will be in addition to other funds that we anticipate from the National Disaster Management Centre.”
