Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Joseph Madzimure
28 August 2008
Harare — Construction of the multi-story complex Joina City is expected to be through in three months time, says the chief executive of Joina Development company Mr Shingai Mutasa.
He said funding for the remaining works was already in place with the 16-story complex nearing completion, years after construction began.
Its completion has been delayed by numerous challenges such as the soaring cost of building material and scarcity of foreign currency for imported fittings.
"All the material is already in place, and we are expecting the construction to be through in three months time.
"We have already solved the issue of foreign currency and construction is underway at the construction site and very soon we will be through, said Mr Mutasa.
He cited funding of the construction as the major drawback to the completion of the building. "We have used almost US$100 million for the construction of the whole building, which is a big figure," he said.
Mr Mutasa, one of Zimbabwe's big names in business, urged the business community to remain confident and to invest in the country.
"Very soon all the economic challenges will be a thing of the past, so let's develop our country and map a way forward," he said.
The high rise Joina City has 17 000 square metres of retail space, 12 000 square meters of office space and parking for 600 vehicles.
A visit to the site by the Herald Business yesterday revealed that some of the floors and parking area were almost ready for occupation.
Construction workers were doing some patch work at the site yesterday morning.
One of the workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they had received enough cement and other raw materials from South Africa to complete the construction work.
"I hope we are going to complete the construction work this year without fail. Some floors are already complete and await occupation," he said.
The complex comprises space for cinemas, supermarkets, clothing outlets, hair salons, bookshops, homecare facilities, office blocks, banking facilities and underground parking bays.
Construction at the site began in 1998 at an estimated total cost of US$27 million but suffered serious bottlenecks due to rapid increases in the cost of building materials.
Its major investors are NRZ Pension Fund, Zimnat Investment (Private) Limited and Dubury Investments (Private) Limited.
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