Hundreds of Windhoek residents have been submitting their CVs ahead of Friday’s opening of the N$270-million Goreangab Mall, which promised an estimated 900 new jobs.
The excitement about the multimillion-dollar development is, however, overshadowed by growing frustration among local residents desperate for employment.
Oryx Properties Limited and Safland Property Group have invested N$270 million in the project.
Local jobseekers have for the past two weeks been gathering outside the site, waiting for news on their applications.
Developers previously said the mall would create around 340 jobs during its construction phase and roughly 500 permanent roles once fully operational, impacting an estimated 900 people.
Olivia Paulus, a local resident, this week expressed her frustration at the lack of communication from the mall’s management.
She said many community members have been waiting for over a fortnight to have their CVs formally accepted, returning home every evening without an answer.
Another resident, Danishia Haitembo, who went to the site to hand in her credentials, said she pleaded with the management to treat their applications with respect.
“Please don’t throw away our CVs,” she said, highlighting the financial strain of job hunting.
“We make them with hard-earned money.”
Safland Property Group marketing manager Rhodda Bessinger yesterday reiterated the project’s intended benefits, saying the primary goals of the development are “bringing services closer to our communities and, most importantly, employment creation”.
Once completed, Goreangab Mall will feature over 30 retail stores.
The shopping centre is the first phase of the broader Goreangab Waterfront Development, a plan that aims to introduce 2 500 residential units and a formal taxi rank to improve transport links for surrounding communities.
