Lolo Madonsela
There have been mixed reactions from the community as plans for the establishment of a mall in Vryheid take shape.
Many took to social media to express their excitement at the news that a new mall will be developed in town, while others were skeptical about this new development, claiming it has been a long-overdue promise and they do not see it materialising.
Municipal Manager Bonga Ntanzi said the contractor will make a presentation to management and Council during the course of this week, “then more answers to your questions will unfold”.
He indicated that the construction will be done in phases, with phase 1 covering retail and municipal office chambers. Then other phases will follow, which will include a hotel, a rank and a rental block of flats for middle- and higher-income earners.
“This development will create a lot of job opportunities for the people of AbaQulusi, as there will be short-, medium- and long-term employment opportunities. This will also boost the economy dramatically, as we have a lot of ‘feet’ that pass through Vryheid to go to other towns, provinces and borders. Those people will be able to spend their money here while they proceed to their destinations,” said Ntanzi.
Also read: Court interdict on illegal land grabs
Explaining why the municipal chambers were going to be moved to this new development area, he said, “With the surge of Covid-19, we are obliged to practice social distancing and with our current office, that is close to impossible. The current chamber was designed to accommodate 17 councillors years ago. With change in government and the population of our town growing, the chamber now sits 33 councillors. So this will be a serious challenge to follow the regulation protocols, as we do not even have a public gallery.
“It also poses a danger, as it is not according to the Operational Health & Safety protocols, since it has only one access door. The protocol requires that when such a huge number of people are congregated, the venue should have a normal entry / exit, as well as an emergency exit, which we do not have. Should the building catch fire, it will be a disaster, as people won’t even be able to use windows to escape, because we are on the second floor. Hence there is a need for us to move the chamber. This does not mean the offices will be abandoned; they will be utilised as another satellite office for the municipality. We are yet to discuss which department will utilise it,” added Ntanzi.
He assured AbaQulusi citizens that once the presentations are done this week, the community will be updated moving forward.
“With this project, we have reached a stage of ‘irreversible’; this dream will definitely be realised. Of course it is a long-standing project since 2010, but we have revisited it and ensured that everything was in compliance, and we ticked all the law-related boxes. We went to the National Treasury for guidance on how we would deliver on this project and ensure that all the documents were in place, correct and according to standard.
“We will be able to unpack the time frame, figures and how many will be employed according to the needs, from unskilled all the way up to professionals. Our people should be patient, as this will be announced next week. I can assure our citizens that there were no fixed meetings or appointment of the contractor; it was all done accordingly, like I said with guidance from National Treasury.
“The company that was appointed is Green Giraffe, which has done work of this magnitude before and we believe they are capable of delivering. This development will surely see AbaQulusi improving greatly from its current state, especially in terms of dealing with unemployment and economic development,” Ntanzi said.
Make sure you follow us on our social media platforms for regular updates
