CONSTRUCTION OF E43M SITEKI MALL BEGINS

SITEKI – It is now all systems go for the construction of the proposed E43 million mall in Siteki Town.

Ground works for the project began early this year but were temporarily halted, following environmental concerns raised by owners of residences around the construction site.

But after lengthy discussions involving stakeholders such as the Swaziland Environment, Authority (SEA) and the local municipal council, the two parties seem to have ironed out their differences.

As such, the construction process has begun and according to the directors of the mall, phase one of the project would be completed in December this year.

“We cannot state precisely when the whole project will be completed, since there can be delays that can be caused by the weather. But we are expecting the first phase to be completed before the end of the year and the second phase will be completed next year,” said one of the directors, who asked not to reveal his name.

Last Saturday, the directors of the project hosted a meeting with stakeholders to officially announce the resumption of the construction process and to discuss any concerns that may not have been addressed.

“Sesiyevana nemastakeholders,”said one of the directors, referring to the residents who had raised concerns about the possible environmental risks that could be brought by the construction process.

Meanwhile, Siteki Town CEO, Sithembile Simelane, said as the local authority, they appreciated the resumption of the construction of the mall.

She said already, the project had brought ‘positive spin-offs’ in that many local residents have been employed at the construction site.
“There are other people who are benefitting from selling different items to the people working on the construction site,” she added.

Halted

She explained that, when the municipality halted the project early this year, it wanted to ensure that it complied with environmental laws.
“And now that they have complied with environmental laws, our task is to monitor,” Simelane stated.

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