MEC Tshitereke Matibe (standing fifth from left, holding a shovel), along with Thulamela Mayor Athongozwidivha Rambuda and Thovhele Nkhaneni Ramovha, were joined by some of the developers and Thulamela officials during the sod-turning ceremony. Photo: Silas Nduvheni.
News Date: 01 November 2024
A sod-turning ceremony marking the start of construction of the Thavhani Retail Park was held on Wednesday, 23 October. The new complex is located in the Thavhani City Precinct, near Builders Market in Muledane, just outside Thohoyandou.
The ceremony was attended by the Limpopo MEC for Economic Development, Environment, and Tourism (LEDET), Tshitereke Matibe; Thovhele Nkhaneni Ramovha; Thulamela Mayor Athongozwidivha Rambuda; and the managing director of Flanagan & Gerald, Mr. Paul Gerald.
The R380 million Thavhani Retail Park development will feature an open-air shopping centre measuring 13,500 square metres of retail space. It will include 28 stores, with anchor tenants Shoprite and Boxer. The centre is expected to open in October 2025.
Speaking during the ceremony, MEC Matibe said the development had taken several years to materialise. He added that he had become involved in securing land in 2015. Matibe noted that in the Vhembe region, there was still land available for developers.
Thulamela Mayor Rambuda described the proposed retail park as a major development, aligning with their vision to have Thohoyandou declared a city in 2025.
Thovhele Nkhaneni Ramovha, the managing director of Ramangolwe - one of the companies tasked with developing the Thavhani Retail Park - expressed readiness to bring real development to the Vhembe region.
