Big announcement about top shopping malls in South Africa’s richest area
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says law enforcement agencies will be deployed to make the top three shopping malls safe at all times.
This announcement followed a day after Lesufi delivered his State of the Province Address, where he promised better law enforcement to address crime.
“We are clear that to grow the economy of Gauteng, we must defeat crime, corruption, and lawlessness,” he said in his address.
He added that all municipalities have joined together to fight crime and have signed a memorandum of understanding to share resources across the province.
The latest crime statistics showed that murder decreased by 11% year on year, and property-related crime recorded a 7.8% decrease.
Lesufi said almost 10,000 traffic wardens are now peace officers, creating a multiplier force to assist the police in the fight against crime.
This is only the start. The Gauteng Premier promised stronger policing and law enforcement to create a safe environment to stimulate economic growth.
One intervention is to ensure that the province’s top shopping malls are protected to enable late-night shopping.
He explained that many professionals only leave work at around 19h00, after which they would like to go shopping.
However, shopping malls close earlier than people would like because of crime concerns.
To address this issue, they will allocate significant resources to making Sandton City, Mall of Africa, and Menlyn Maine as safe as possible.
“These shopping malls must be safe areas where people can go at any time without any problem of crime,” Lesufi said.
The programme will include visible policing, roadblocks in the area, and plainclothes officers in the malls.
The safety programme will kick in on 1 June 2026 at Sandton City and Mall of Africa, and then move to Menlyn Maine.
He explained that they will start by safeguarding the top three shopping malls they have identified and monitoring their effectiveness.
The project will then be expanded to other shopping malls in the province, depending on what they experienced during the first phase.
Rising crime at shopping malls
Shopping malls have increasingly become hotspots for criminal activity in South Africa, from syndicates to petty thieves taking advantage of high foot traffic and crowded spaces.
Security firms have flagged rising crime levels at major shopping centres, where shoplifting and other property-related crimes have surged in high-footfall areas.
It’s not just in-store theft that shoppers need to worry about. The entire mall environment, from parking lots to food courts, creates opportunities for criminals.
Gauteng—already a high crime region—has been hit by several high-profile incidents over the years, ranging from heists at tech stores to thefts that target specific demographics.
Last year, there were several thefts at malls like Cresta and Randridge Mall in Randburg, where armed robbers targeted jewellery stores and other retailers, stealing cash and cellphones.
In Pretoria, security firms reported a notable increase in similar incidents, especially in the eastern parts of the city, such as Mooikloof.
2025 also saw the emergence of a syndicate that was specifically targeting women at and around shopping malls in Gauteng with the aim of kidnapping them.
Vehicles left unattended in the parking bays are also popular targets for criminals, with the South African Police Service (SAPS) noting a particular rise in car thefts involving remote jamming devices at centres.
Vehicle tracking group Tracker confirmed that malls remain key hotspots for vehicle crime, including theft from and theft of vehicles.
The group highlighted that hijackings peak on Fridays between 15h00 and 22h00, while car thefts are most common on Saturdays from 11h00 to 15h00.
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