Man’s hope of building mall fading
I have lost so much money already on that land as geologists, land surveyors and town planners have been paid to conduct their studies. All have been done according to the municipal's requirement and all I want to know is why the municipality is withholding me a go-ahead to continue with the project?" he asked.
MBOMBELA – The hope of bringing a shopping mall closer to home for the people of Matsulu seems to be fading as the municipality has not given the founders of the would-be mall a go-ahead for this project at Makawusi 215 JU.
What makes the founders even more uncertain of their future is that locals have started to invade the land. Locally based herbalist, Dr Phandima Enoch Sibiya, the man behind the development and also founder of Gaza Zamokuhle Company, says he is not pleased by the municipality’s slow pace in giving him access to the portion of land for the accomplishment of his vision for the area.
He initially applied for 3 500 square metres of land and was compelled to reapply for a much larger space of 35 hectares.
“I was made to upgrade and reapply for the land, a requirement which I made.
I had partners who were willing to fund the project from the start to the end and has since been nursing hopes waiting for a positive response from the municipality which keeps on giving us empty promises and taking us from pillar to post,” said Sibiya.
Documents in Mpumalanga News’ possession dated January 22, 2008 show that the municipality resolved that the application be approved subject to certain conditions. “An application for township establishment and subdivision of the subject property be submitted to the subdirectorate, urban and rural management. Its funding be referred to the 2007/8 adjustment budget and that the applicant apply to Eskom for connection regarding electricity supply,” it states. The document shows that the cultural centre must be clearly demarcated and zoned as council property, and the department of land affairs be informed. Nevertheless, six years down the line Sibiya still battles to be given the complete paperwork allowing him access to the land so that the mall and an international-standard hotel be built.
“This project is certain of creating much-needed job opportunities for the locals and people of the province as stipulated in our business plan and proposal. With all these delays I feel like our government doesn’t care enough to empower black entrepreneurs. I wonder if I were of another race whether I would have waited so long.
I have lost so much money already on that land as geologists, land surveyors and town planners have been paid to conduct their studies. All have been done according to the municipal’s requirement and all I want to know is why the municipality is withholding me a go-ahead to continue with the project?” he asked. Sibiya also alleged that from 2008 nobody informed or updated them on the issue and each time he and his delegates met with the municipality, they were not taken seriously and nobody bothered to take minutes during meetings.
“Even if we meet with them, nobody bothers to write down minutes, it just seems like those officials undermine our level of education and financial stability,” he said.
Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesperson for the municipality said it was aware of the situation which was a very complex matter and involved a number of stakeholders.
