Plans are underway to identify land to put up a shopping mall as part of a Government initiative to kick start development in small towns. A meeting was held last week at the municipality, hosted by Mayor Thulani Mahaye and representatives of the District Council.
Mayor Mahaye said he had met with private investors who ‘are keen to market the town in a bid to create job opportunities by building a complex in the municipal area’.
Edward Bonga, of the Umzinyathi District Municipality, told the meeting that the first step was to identify suitable land.
The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, COGTA, the local and district municipalities have put aside funding to get the project off the ground.
Endumeni Municipality has promised around R95 000 towards the required town planning.
Various pieces of land were identified including adjacent land to the new Majuba College, on the Glencoe/Dundee road and on the Glencoe by-pass in the vicinity of the turn-off to Donald McHardy dam. A site on the Helpmekaar road is also been looked at.
It was decided that a service provider would be appointed and paid for by the District Council.
This service provider will make sure the land that has been identified is easily accessible, ideally on the main road, and is not too far away from the nearby town, has enough “own” parking facility and does not create traffic congestion.
The next meeting hopes ‘to have more stakeholder representation’.