Unemployed to gain from huge extension planned for Musina’s Great North Plaza

The lives of several of the unemployed in Musina are poised to change for the better. This follows the sod-turning ceremony of a new multimillion rand Musina Mall.

The mall, which will be erected for an approximate amount of R320 million, is an extension of the existing Great North Plaza, which currently houses 40 shops. The addition of Musina Mall will increase the Great North Plaza from 14 000 m² to 34 000 m².

The sod-turning ceremony, in celebration of the new development and attended by municipal officials, business people and developers, took place at the old mall on Thursday last week. The new development is envisaged to be fully operational by April 2017.

The development is not only a substantial, direct investment into Musina, but it will also create approximately 500 jobs during the construction phase, and a further 500 permanent new jobs subsequent to completion.

Investec Property Fund CEO Mr  Nick Riley said the mall was one of the best and comparable to only a few in Limpopo towns. “The strong trading conditions of the existing centre has attracted a demand from existing and new retailers to expand their existing offerings and introduce new brands to the mall. The extension is already more than 87% let, including national retailers such as Checkers, Jet, Edgars and Pep,” he said.

Riley further said the new mall "offers an unparalleled convenience to the residents of the business and social node. We are extremely excited by the opportunity and would like to thank residents of Musina for the support to date as well as members of the Musina Municipality in making this further investment possible".

Musina mayor Clr Mihloti Muhlope hailed the investment, saying it would not only bring development to her municipality, but also ease the burden of unemployment in the area.

“Initiatives of this nature are playing a meaningful role in freeing our people from the bondage of unemployment, poverty and underdevelopment. When we see this investment coming to our town, we know that the lives of our people will change and poverty will be eradicated,” she said.

Date:28 January 2016

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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