BY MTHANDAZO NYONI A STRING of the country’s big brands, including fast food outlets, has stampeded into Zimre Property Investments’ Sawanga Mall in Victoria Falls, helping the top end real estate gem notch 95% occupancy rates, according to managing director, Edson Muvingi. This places the US$13 million Sawanga Mall among a handful of properties that have defied immense pressures being exerted on realtors by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sawanga Mall was commissioned last year. Zimre said the facility made significant contribution to the group’s rental income during the half year to June 30, 2020. But it was a period when the deadly COVID-19 pandemic hit the real estate sector as firms reduced working space after directing workers to work from home. In Victoria Falls, Sawanga experienced a completely opposite response after attracting Bata shoe company, fast foods giant Nandos, NMB Bank, TM Pick n Pay supermarkets, Ethiopian Airways, Nedbank, FBC Bank, First Mutual and Liquid Telecom. Aurex Jewellery, Trinity Pharmacy, Adidas Sportswear, RocoMamas and TV Sales & Home have also taken up space at the top end real estate gem. Nandos occupied their space in November, just in time for the Christmas holiday. Muvingi told NewsDay Business recently that Sawanga had surpassed management’s expectations considering the impact of COVID-19 to the economy. “Our numbers are good,” Muvingi said. “That’s why you saw Nandos opening. We believe Chicken Hut could open anytime soon. The other tenants are operating well. The retail side has had some impact in terms of turnover returns but it (COVID-19) hasn't really affected us that much,” he said. “It’s the offices and student accommodation where we have suffered significantly. Retail is performing quite well. There has been some significant movement around there. You see significant spikes where people buy, sometimes, things which they don’t even need just to make sure that their stocks are up in the event of any lockdown.” “The more we talk about a second possible lockdown, the more people buy and stock up. So it has been quite well. It’s a different sector, it’s a different market, different environment, we like the fact that there is a bit of opening, tourists movement into Victoria Falls and all, so that gives us some good lifeline,” Muvingi said. He said 95% of the space at the facility was occupied. “It’s literally full,” said Muvingi. “The only space that is not occupied is the space that was left by Innscor when they changed their plans. Otherwise the occupancy is very good. The space was even taken before the mall was complete,” he said. For Zimre, the excitement goes beyond Nandos’ presence inside the mall. Nandos is a crowd puller that can bolster the businesses of entire tenants at the operation, as well as Zimre’s revenues. “People are going to spend more time in the shopping centre and they are likely to spend more money in the shopping centre,” he said. Asked whether Zimre had plans to open another shopping mall in the near future, Muvingi said while expansion plans were underwa