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Herald Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa and his Mozambican counterpart, President Filipe Nyusi, last week toured the site of a multimillion-dollar shopping mall that is currently under construction in Warren Park, opposite Harare’s Warren Hills Golf Club.
The project, which sits on 50 hectares, is the brainchild of the Institute of African Knowledge (INSTAK). It is one of the eco-friendly projects that is being undertaken by the Second Republic.
It located on a former dumpsite, the Golden Quarry that operated for 40 years. The site is now being re-purposed into a smart shopping and recreational facility.
The first phase of the mall, that is dubbed Liberation Mall, is funded by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), as part of its strategic thrust to promote impact investments that stimulate economic production, job creation, as well as promote the social well-being of Zimbabweans.
The NSSA-funded phase will comprise a Redan fuel station with a forecourt capable of serving up to 20 vehicles at a time, a KFC fast food drive through outlet, as well as an OK Mart store, which is expected to serve SMEs that are blossoming in Harare West.
Briefing the two Presidents, INSTAK chief executive, Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi, said the first phase was scheduled to be completed by December 2023.
“The Liberation Mall will be the biggest mall in Southern Africa in terms of land space because it will sit on 50 hectares of land.
“It is going to be the first and only shopping mall with an amusement park over 20ha and an animal park sitting on another 20ha, while the mall itself will be sitting on 10ha.
“This is in line with a one-stop-shop thrust and also a pro-family thrust where we are saying shopping is no longer an exercise of going to spend your money as such, but an exercise that is for the whole family to go and get an experience, so it is not just retail, it is also recreation through adrenaline sports in the amusement park and through responsible wildlife preservation at the animal park,” said Muzawazi.
The Instak CEO said the Liberation Mall was strategically positioned to service Harare West, where 60 percent of the capital’s population resides. It is also the most expanding region of Harare with an estimated population growth rate of 5 percent per year.
“This demographic growth demands retail experiences and facilities to meet the demands of the new consumer population,” said Ambassador Muzawazi.
Online Reporter