On 2 July 2026 on SABC News, the public got a front-row seat in the debate for and against the MMSEZ. Viewers heard two sharply different accounts of the Chinese industrial mega-project being built in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve.
Living Limpopo argues that the jobs promises are inflated, the domestic steel industry faces cannibalisation, the water demands cannot be met, and frontline communities have been denied their rights to free, prior and informed consent. The MMSEZ SOC CEO rejects these claims. Watch both interviews and make up your own mind.
Industrial development — or an industrial-scale disaster hiding behind a glossy brochure and a straight face?
▶️MMSEZ SOC right of reply: Power Plant | Economic upside and Environmental benefits: Gundo Maswime