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Grove mall project in limbo

Just a huge hole.... the construction site for the supposedly largest shopping centre ever to be developed in the country. No development has taken place as a result of a land ownership disagreement.(Photograph by Melba Chipepo)

Just a huge hole…. the construction site for the supposedly largest shopping centre ever to be developed in the country. No development has taken place as a result of a land ownership disagreement.(Photograph by Melba Chipepo)

Construction of the upmarket billion dollar Grove shopping mall in Klein Kuppe, which was initially scheduled to be completed in the last quarter of this year, is at a standstill.
The construction of the Grove mall, touted as the largest non-South African shopping mall in southern Africa, has hit a brick wall amid revelations of land dispute in the area where the mall is supposed to be built.
According to a statement by Safland Namibia Executive Chairman Ranga Haikali, the delay in the  construction of the mall has been caused by a land ownership dispute. Haikali said: “We are awaiting the transfer of the land before we commence with the building. We expect this process to be completed before the end of this month in order for the contractor to start on site.”
The 42 800 square metre mall which will be located next to Food lovers market and Metro, will include a 43 000 square metre retail shopping centre, a 4 000 square metre entertainment centre that will include a ten pin bowling alley, a cinema and a games arcade. A 100 bed three star hotel that will face the public square and events arena as well as a 1000 square metre penthouse office accommodation will also form part of the mall.
Not only will the shopping centre be an entertainment and shopping haven, it will also be a massive generator of employment opportunities in Windhoek. During construction of the mall, direct employment opportunities will be created for 700 to1000 people while up to 2000 permanent jobs will be created once the project is complete.
The mall is a joint venture project between the Frontier Property Trust, Demashuwa Properties and Safland Namibia, a company that has benefited from GIPF’s new unlisted investments.
The mall is the largest commercial property investment ever made in the country. It will cost N$1.1 billion to develop.

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