AUSSENKEHR - The Aussenkehr shopping complex constructed at a cost of N$20 million was officially opened yesterday, making shopping much easier for the community than in the past.
Speaking at the ceremony, Karasburg West Constituency Councillor Paulus Efraim who has seen Aussenkehr farm grow in terms of population over the last 27 years, said it is crucial that people have access to shops and services as more people flock to the area in search of jobs.
Efraim said the complex is a move in the right direction and good progress in an attempt to improve the lives of the people at the farm and bring services and basic needs closer to them.
He commended the Vasiljevic family for financing and developing the complex, saying the objective and aim is to serve and help the Namibian people at the farm, and that it is good development as residents will no longer have to travel far to get basic services, and he called on other grape companies to follow suit in an effort to make things better for their workers.
“The transportation of workers to go shop in other towns have now been solved, the community can now do their shopping here, and I want to call on all companies to do the same, to meet government halfway and develop this town – let us bring services near to the people,” he said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, complex manager Ljubomir Vasiljevic said it was a proud moment not only for the Vasiljevic family to open the complex, but also for the community members who will now have access to more shops and other services, saying it has been hard for people to access this in the past.
“We are all proud, we know how difficult it was for our people to get basic goods in the past, our people had to struggle to travel long distances to buy goods, but today things have changed, and our people have the benefit of having a shopping complex right on our doorstep,” he said.
He further said that while the complex has two commercial banks with eight automated teller machines, and clothing and furniture shops, this is the beginning of the journey of expansion and that he hopes more shops will be added soon.