21 Jul 2024

Government welcomes any contributions towards employment creation as the country is faced with the challenge of unemployment, says Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Mr Thulagano Segokgo.

He was speaking at the grand opening of the new Oasis Mall in Tlokweng on Friday.

Mr Segokgo who is also Tlokweng MP said the P140 million self-funded mall had created over 280 employment opportunities.

“Companies such as Overseas Development Enterprises (ODE) and several others who are gradually heeding the call by government to assist in employment creation need to be commended as this is a huge task which government cannot do alone. Oasis Mall will play a crucial role in bringing people together. It will be a place where families can spend quality time, where friends can meet and enjoy each other’s company, and where the community can come together to celebrate and support local culture and talent,” he said.

Mr Segokgo said the opening of the mall was the creation of a space that would contribute to social and economic fabric of Tlokweng for years to come.

He added that government’s role in supporting such initiatives was vital and remained committed to partnering and working with developers, businesses and the community to ensure that the district’s infrastructure continued to grow and thrive.

Minister Segokgo said Oasis Mall represented a significant milestone in a journey towards enhancing the infrastructure and economic landscape of the Tlokweng District.

He said ODE’s unwavering commitment and teamwork to creating a vibrant and accessible shopping destination was evident in every corner of the establishment.

“Your efforts and hard work have brought to life a space that will serve as a cornerstone for the community, fostering both economic growth and social engagement. Oasis Mall comes at a time when this district and surrounding areas including Gaborone areas are experiencing rapid growth and development. As the Member of Parliament for Tlokweng, I cannot over emphasise the importance of such developments in enhancing our district’s infrastructure and connectivity,” he added.

ODE Group chairperson, Mr Manhar Mooney said the company acquired the property in 2020, just two months before COVID-19 lockdown.

He said the initial intention was to continue to operate Oasis Motel with a reasonable facelift to service its regular clientele but as the pandemic unfolded, they realised that the travel landscape was changing and a different approach was needed.

“The existing structures were not efficient, they were not well built and the property had far too many rooms. We also saw an opportunity to utilise the large amount of land more efficiently and increase the retail footprint in this already well established commercial node. To create the centre you see here today, we had to demolish about half of the buildings we had acquired. We also undertook a substantial re-modelling of the old Oasis Motel, creating fresh and modern hotel rooms,” he said.

Mr Mooney said Oasis Mall housed 25 tenants with Spar as the anchor tenant. Other reputable tenants, he said included OK Furniture, Clicks Pharmacy, Home Zone, Jimmy’s, Hungry Lion, Pedros and Yash Cell, to name a few.

He said during the transformation, they had to reduce the number of hotel rooms from 112 to 75 and also built a brand-new conference facility and restaurant which retained the name of the sites’ first restaurant reflections.

Established in 1979, Oasis Motel has been a cherished part of Botswana’s hospitality landscape. Ends