MANZINI SKYLINE TO GET E2BN FACELIFT

EZULWINI – The skyline of Manzini will never be the same again.

This is because the hub of the country will soon have one of the best malls in the country.

The mall, which is valued at about E2 billion, will be constructed at the old Trade Fair, situated on the banks of Mzimnene River along Ngwane Street.

The project which is expected to house approximately 183 shops is the brainchild of South Africa’s Nthwese Developments. 

Some of the shops include Game, Woolworths, Spur, KFC, Edgars, PicknPay, Shoprite, Markham, Mr Price, Contempo, Chicken Licken to name a few.

The complex will be built on three levels – two will house retailers and cinemas will be located on the lower level. Another feature that is expected to be prominent will be the children’s playgrounds.

envisage

According to Nthwese Developments’ Antonio Sousa, the project would be on a 40 000sqm piece of land. “We envisage taking up around 55 000sqm in the next 10 years because of the trade intensity that this project has,” he said when making a presentation about the project.

When making comparisons, he said Bhunu Mall was sitting at about 12 000sqm.

This, Sousa said, meant that the new mall to be known as the Manzini Mall would be more than three times the size of the Bhunu Mall. “Since we envisage growth, we think other projects such as hotels and conference facilities will be added across the river. We are planning to have a footbridge that will link the mall with the Mavuso Trade Centre. This will be one way of diverting traffic,” he explained.

Traffic

On how they would battle traffic congestion in the city, Souse said they intend to divert it through the mall.

He mentioned that they were aware that Ngwane Street was usually congested, especially during peak hours. “I’m aware that traffic is a problem – you can do a traffic count now, but in the next 10 years it will be something else. It just grows,” he added.

Souse mentioned that they would have two entrances – one would be along Ngwane Street and the other would be from the bus terminus. Also, he said they would have three parking decks to cater for the shoppers.

About other features, Souse pointed out that they were planning to have a statue of His Majesty King Mswati III at the main entrance of the Mall, which would be along Ngwane Street.

Also, Souse said they were planning to have a mini art museum inside the mall.  

Partner

The founder and Managing Director of Nthwese Developments, Seabelo Herbert Theledi said they were pleased to partner with Eswatini in developing a mall of this magnitude that would help achieve His Majesty the King’s vision in transforming Eswatini to a first world country by 2022.   

“A substantial amount will be invested in the development of the Mall contributing to the country’s economic growth, creation of sustainable jobs, improvement to infrastructure development and empowerment of local MSMEs,” he said.

With the world and country’s economic challenges having been exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic, Theledi said the timing of the project was therefore opportune. Worth noting, Theledi once resided in the country during the apartheid era.

In a separate interview, Theledi disclosed that he lived with other South Africans in Pigg’s Peak.  

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