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Members of the Kutama Concern Group. From left to right are Musundwa Mafanedza, Fhumulani Simali, Madza Ndivhuwo and one of the people nominated as trustees, Mashudu Mulaudzi. Photo supplied.
A modern shopping mall with more than 40 stores is in the pipeline for residents of Kutama. The only problem is that no timeline has been established for when construction will begin or when local residents can expect to welcome major shopping brands to their doorstep.
The planned mall will be built on a 3.5-hectare site in Tshikwarani village, next to the busy R522 road to Louis Trichardt. The mall itself will have a lettable area of 10,622 m², with anchor tenant Shoprite. Other tenants will include Pep Stores, Ackermans, Mr Price, and clothing shops such as Truworths. These are names that currently appear on planning documents, and not all tenants have been secured.
The new Kutama Mall has been in the planning stages for a few years. In September 2021, the Makhado Municipality’s Planning Tribunal approved an application to subdivide and rezone a piece of land in Kutama to accommodate the shopping centre.
The process had to wait an additional two years for further approval by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. On 3 November last year, the Nkuna Consortium’s application for a long-term lease was approved.
Since the development is on communal (or tribal) land, the developers must involve representatives of the local community. This requires the election of community trustees, who, it is stipulated, must be “party to the intended long-term lease agreement.”
Local community involvement has also been a source of significant friction over the past year. Residents, many excited about potential employment opportunities during the construction phase, have grown frustrated with the lack of information on the project's progress.
This frustration led to the formation of the Kutama Concern Group, which attempted to pressure the developers into providing more information. Group members were also critical of the role played by the senior traditional leader in the area, Thovhele Vele Kutama, especially after none of the stakeholders responded to an invitation to attend a meeting held in Kutama on 26 October.
“We are deeply disappointed and frustrated to announce that our invited stakeholders failed to attend our meeting over the weekend regarding the Kutama Mall Development. Their absence undermines our community's interests and demonstrates a blatant disregard for our partnership,” said Mr Fhumulani Simali, the group’s spokesperson.
He added that community members had unanimously resolved to take decisive action. “We urge Nkuna Consortium to respect our community's interests and commit to constructive engagement. Our community deserves better, and we will take all necessary steps to protect our interests,” he said.
Nkuna Consortium has four directors listed: Elvis Bvuma, Todani Moyo, Dick Tshunduka Nkuna, and Mutshutshu Nxumalo. However, Mr Dick Nkuna passed away a few years ago. Questions about the project were directed to Mr Mutshutshu Nxumalo, who asked that questions be redirected to their development partner, Fontis.
Fontis Developments is a company specialising in property development, particularly malls, in rural areas.
Mr Tom Roodt, owner and chief executive officer of Fontis, responded to questions promptly, but began with a warning, stating that “should you publish anything that would bring my company’s name into disrepute, I would not hesitate to take legal action against you or the company that you represent.”
Roodt then proceeded to answer all questions and provided much-needed clarity on issues that community members had raised.
“Firstly, Fontis has been trying to secure tenants who will occupy the mall and bring convenience to the people of Kutama. We have made progress with a few key tenants like Shoprite and the Pep group. Unfortunately, we could not convince any banks to participate in this development. For Shoprite to be involved, they required one of the banks to be a tenant in the mall,” he explained.
He mentioned that Shoprite had indicated it might waive this requirement, but that securing the right tenant mix remained essential for the mall's long-term success. “Without the correct tenants to serve the people of Kutama, the mall’s failure would be inevitable,” he said. “Fontis is still attempting to convince the banks to join this development and is even offering a large tenant allowance,” he added.
“As a developer, I am as eager as ever to start this development, as it would improve the lives of the people of Kutama and create numerous jobs that are desperately needed in this area,” said Roodt. He estimated that around 2,000 jobs would be created during the construction phase, with the mall providing ongoing employment for approximately 300 people in the long term.
In a follow-up email, Roodt acknowledged that communication between the developers and the local community could be improved. He also promised to inform Limpopo Mirror when the development is set to proceed.
The Kutama Concern Group plans on meeting again on Saturday (9 November) at the Muduluni Community Hall to discuss the development.
Date:08 November 2024
Anton van Zyl has been with the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror since 1990. He graduated from the Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg) and obtained a BA Communications degree. He is a founder member of the Association of Independent Publishers.
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To support local motor mechanics, spares shops, and panel beaters in and around Thohoyandou, the global energy company Shell hosted an information session and workshop at the Mutale Complex in Thohoyandou Block G on Wednesday, 30 October.
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