Kgoshi Mokoena and Norah Fakude doing sod turning
By Kopano Dibakwane
The area of Marite, in Bushbuckridge, will soon have a shopping mall of its own, following a massive investment by a local business woman, Norah Fakude.
Fakude is said to have started her journey in business by selling fat cakes(amagwinya) within the local community and later grew to become a successful business mogul.
According to a statement by Office of the Premier(OTP), the designated land for the mall is next to the Marite tax rank. The OTP also stated that few families of Matsane and Khumalo will be compensated for donating land for the project.
Speaking during a sod turning ceremony that was held in Marite on Saturday 25 May 2024, Mpumalanga Premier, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, said Fakude is a shining example to all the people of Mpumalanga for her continued contribution towards changing the lives of many communities for the better.
“ Mama Norah is one of the business people in Mpumalanga who always responds when we make a call for assistance as government. We are grateful to her for what she’s doing for the people of Marite. She has a compassionate heart that is always open to giving back to her community. This is a very big investment that she’s making and we must all congratulate her. The people of Marite will no longer travel to far away areas to access their favourite shops,” said Mtshweni-Tsipane.
Fakude said the project was initiated 17 years ago and it has faced a lot of challenges but all her efforts will soon come into fruition. She revealed that the size of the mall is 22 thousand 500 square metres, costing about R300 million and it will house 54 shops. In addition, Fakude said 300 temporary jobs(bricklayers, plasters, painters, plumbers and other related services) will be created for the local community. This includes 400 permanent jobs for store assistants such as floor managers, tellers, cleaners and security services.
“ We will shortly commence with the building of the filling station while we redesign the plans of the shopping mall to accommodate the family that did not want to be moved. I want to plead with the community of Marite to protect the workers that will be on site both during the construction and operational stages.
“ I assure you that we will employ the people of Marite and that the small business people will benefit from the construction and supply of certain goods and services. This is not a government funded project, I am investing my family funds and have taken loans to build this shopping mall,” said Fakude.
The sod turning ceremony was also attended by prominent government officials such as the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development-Thoko Didiza, Deputy Minister of International Relations-Candith Mashego-Dlamini, Mpumalanga MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs-Busisiwe Shiba, the Executive Mayor of Bushbuckridge Local Municipality-Sylvia Nxumalo and the Chairperson of Provincial House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders-Kgoshi Lameck Mokoena.
