Zana Mall Targets 2027

Construction has officially begun on the over P200 million Zana Junction Mall in Selebi Phikwe, with developers targeting a September 2027 opening for the retail development. The project is being undertaken by Zana Copper Leaf, a joint venture between JTTM Properties and Nickelhead, and is expected to contribute to economic activity and employment in the town. Presenting the project overview during Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Zana Copper Leaf Board Chairperson Abel Apollo Bogatsu said the developers were working towards completing the project within a year.

“We have given ourselves one year to finish this project, and we will do it. We want it to be open in September 2027,” Bogatsu said. Speaking at the ceremony, Letlole La Rona Chief Executive Officer Ronil Besele said the development had been made possible through the support of the company’s shareholders.

“The Zana Mall development project is a significant undertaking that requires significant funds,” Besele said. He acknowledged Letlole La Rona’s four major shareholders — BPOPF, BDC, BIFM and Debswana PF — saying “their investment and faith in LLR is what enables us to undertake such developments.” Besele said the company viewed the project as an investment in the wider Selebi Phikwe community rather than solely a commercial development. “By building this mall, LLR was not just investing in bricks and mortar, we are investing in the community of Selebi Phikwe and surrounds,” he said, adding that Letlole La Rona’s Rail Park Mall in Gaborone and Watershed Mall in Mahalapye had developed distinct local identities that resonated with residents.

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Besele also told the Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs that the town’s bus rank, filling station, KFC and the planned Zana Mall were all being developed with private sector funding. He said the projects demonstrated a working public-private partnership between Letlole La Rona and the Selebi Phikwe Town Council, reflecting the role local government could play in supporting economic development. Besele said Letlole La Rona and its subsidiaries, JTTM Properties and Zana Copper Leaf, were looking forward to becoming part of the Selebi Phikwe community, adding that the appointed contractor would begin work immediately following the groundbreaking.

Earlier, Selebi Phikwe Town Clerk Lawrence Mokotedi said SPEDU had played a key role in securing an investor, with an agreement reached in November 2017 before a site was identified and designs completed. He said the council hoped the project would prioritise employment for people from Selebi Phikwe and surrounding areas and that ownership of the development would transfer to the town council after 50 years under the agreement.

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