A NEW shopping mall that will house 24 shops has been
officially opened in Gwanda’s Central Business District, indicating growing
investor interest in the mining town.
Meek Shopping Mall trading as Kaweni Enterprises was built
by a Gwanda small scale miner, Mr Philisani Ncube (29).
Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs
Abednico Ncube officially commissioned the mall on Tuesday and urged locals to
invest more in the town.
“It’s pleasing to see local businesses growing. Kaweni
Enterprises owns a number of buildings around town and the opening of this new
one is a sign that indigenous companies are making huge strides in the business
world,” he said.
“Government has been making numerous calls for both local
and foreign investments and it’s exciting that Kaweni Enterprises has taken
heed of this call and joined forces to play their part in investing in infrastructure
development.”
In an interview, the youthful entrepreneur said although
some segments of the project were still under construction, the ground floor
had been completed and was ready for use.
“We are here today to commission this shopping place called
Meek Shopping Mall. So far we have finished constructing the ground floor,
which has 12 shops and most of the shops have now been opened as we have rented
them out. The first floor is still under construction but we expect it be
completed by end of May. It will also house 12 shops, which will bring the
total number of shops in the mall to 24,” he said.
“The mall will house shops that offer a variety of products
such as groceries, clothing, general dealers, food outlets, salons, electrical
among others. I realised that Gwanda has a great potential for business and
that’s why I decided to venture into this project.
“I also wanted to ensure that residents could have a
one-stop-shop where they could access their products under one roof.”
As a small scale miner, Mr Ncube said he realised that it
was also important to invest proceeds from mining into infrastructure
development to assist in the growth of Gwanda town. He said construction of the
mall began in February this year but would not reveal the value of the project.
Minister Ncube said it was important for small to medium
enterprises to have proper working space as they played a major role in the
growth of the economy. He said Government alone could not provide these
critical structures hence the need for private partners to invest in
infrastructure development.
The minister called on local businesses to continue
contributing to local economic development and encouraged the youth to also
find their niche.
Gwanda Mayor Councillor Jastone Mazhale said such
investments in the town were a sign that the town was growing and pledged that
the municipality would scale up efforts to create a conducive environment for
investors. Chronicle
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