Okahandja shopping centre still growing

Okahandja boasts one of the biggest shopping centres outside Windhoek and it is still being developed. The development’s project manager, Garth Mouton, says the Okahandja shopping centre with an area of 24 000 m2, will cost approximately N$250 million once completed. “We never wanted to develop a small shopping centre in Okahandja. This is currently the biggest mall outside of Windhoek. Originally we just wanted to develop the first phase, but the demand was so much for rent space. We actually underestimated the town. People thought we were taking a risk, but a lot is going to happen here,” said Mouton. The centre is being built in four phases. Shops in the third phase have started opening and this process will continue into the next year. This phase promises shopping opportunities with chains such as Clicks, OK Furniture and even a few smaller specialist shops to open their doors. Phase four, which is expected to be completed by the middle of next year, will consist of a gym and office space. Mouton said the construction of the mall started in March 2013 and currently the cost involved is over N$200 million. According to him the original budget for the first and second phase was N$180 million. Currently the shopping centre consists of 62 shops and includes a large variety of shops like Unique Shoes, Crazy Store, Café Nandi, Luka Optics and Bosman Jerky from Namibia, as well as South African chain stores like Edgars Active, Pep, Pep Home, Jet, Mr Price, Sheet Street, Ackermans, Shoprite and others. For the hungry, there are many eateries to choose from, such as Hungry Lion, Debonairs, Mama’s Kitchen, Fish-Aways and the Grand Lake Spur. Mouton said another unique feature of the shopping centre is the market that will house Namibian small business focusing specifically on locally made arts and crafts. This area will be opened in December. He said there is a plan to turn the old building next to the Engen service station into a new car showroom. Construction is expected to start next year. The development of the shopping centre is spearheaded by Namib Housing (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Germou Holdings. OKAHANDJA ELLANIE SMIT