JIMMY CHIBUYE, Mongu
VELOS Enterprises Limited, the contractor engaged to build the first ever Shoprite shopping mall in Mongu, says works are progressing well.
Velos Enterprises Limited site manager Successor Shukumbwe said in an interview on Wednesday that the contractor is currently doing earthworks, which will take two months to be completed.
“This is a shopping mall for Shoprite, which has a project period of one year. We are progressing very well despite some challenges of bad terrain and not having aggregates for the base,” Mr Shukumbwe said.
He said Velos Enterprises Limited is currently buying crushed stones from Sesheke and Lusaka because Mongu does not have a quarry.
Mr Shukumbwe said the project started in December last year.
He said 90 percent of the workforce engaged on the project is made of local people while the remaining 10 percent are Velos Enterprises Limited workers.
Mr Shukumbwe said local people engaged to construct the shopping mall will learn different skills at the project.
“We are not just employing local people because we want them to help us but this will leave them with various skills, which they can use even after we have completed building this shopping mall,” he said.
Mr Shukumbwe said it is Velos Enterprises Limited’s policy to employ 90 percent local people in all areas it is engaged to do projects.