Environmental fears over Mall of Maun location
Friday, March 25, 2022 | 7520 Views |
From the sky: The Mall of Maun Project area map PIC: GOOGLE MAPS
The groundbreaking ceremony was officially held at the beginning of March by Minister of Investment Trade and Industry Mmusi Kgafela as well as the project patron, Mmakgosi Moremi. Construction is to commence on May 1 and is due for completion by September 2023.
The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has confirmed that the mall is being built on a sensitive environmental site. The project is built on a floodplain which is within the Ramsar Site but outside the UNESCO World Heritage Property core zone.
Acting Agriculture Minister, Edwin Dikoloti, is right in saying opening an export-ready facility whilst Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is still spreading would risk getting the whole country blacklisted before a single carcass leaves the door.A ban like that would break the already stressed nation. So, the postponement, painful as it is, is the right thing to do. The local economy is being squeezed from both ends. FMD has already slammed the door...