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Golden Sibanda Senior Business Reporter
THE National Social Security Authority (NSSA) says construction of its $16 million multi-purpose building at the former Ximex Mall site is expected to start in about 24 months after funding is secured.

General manager Mr James Matiza said in an interview that the social security authority would start mobilising the requisite funding next year to fund construction under a 10-year development plan.

He said the complex was razed following complaints from authorities and business operators around the area that the mall had become the hub of vice, affecting other formal businesses.

“We have a 10-year project development plan; we are looking to start accumulating resources around 2015 and 2016. After about 24 months, we should be starting construction,” Mr Matiza said.

“In terms of the funding, we normally raise it from own resources, we look at surplus money we are investing, but the building will require $16 million and we have to build that over time,” he said.

The surplus funds are what remain after NSSA has met its operational obligations and paid pensioners their monthly payouts, which is then invested in equities, money markets and real estate.

Mr Matiza said that in the meantime the authority would be able to generate income, after demolishing the Ximex Mall and replaced it with a car park, which has been named City Centre Parking.

The NSSA general manager said that the parking had 95 slots with two banks said to be in discussions with the authority to take 50 up slots, with the balance expected to be sold by end of next month.

A single parking slot is being leased out at $50 per month and the social security authority expects to generate about $5 000 from leasing vehicle parking lots at the former shopping complex.

“By the end of December, we should be able to lease out all the 95 parking slots,” Mr Matiza said.

The Ximex Mall site was and continues to be the centre of illegal trade, especially in mobile phones, but also other goods such as shoes and clothes, most of which are believed to be stolen items.

“We received a lot of complaints from authorities about the illicit activities, we would ask the police to chase them away, but the next day you would find them milling around the place again,” he said.

“All businesses around there were complaining that the illicit trade taking place there was affecting their business,” he said.

Further, a company, which owned the place and used the name Ximex, also complained that the negative publicity due to the illegal activities tainted their good name.

“All these people were complaining and it appeared we were abetting what was happening there,” Mr Matiza said.

When NSSA tried to evict lease holders, who were illegally sub-leasing to businesspeople of foreign origin, they challenged the evictions, resulting in running court battles and stopped paying rentals.

“We were not getting rentals, the final position taken by the board together with management, was to demolish the building,” said the NSSA general manager, adding that: “The City of Harare said it would only allow us to demolish the place if we had plans for future development of the place.”