{"id":821942,"date":"2025-04-24T14:31:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T12:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=821942"},"modified":"2025-04-24T14:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T12:33:09","slug":"important-south-african-shopping-mall-gets-big-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/821942\/important-south-african-shopping-mall-gets-big-upgrade\/","title":{"rendered":"Important South African shopping mall gets big upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Mall of Mthatha in the Eastern Cape is undergoing a significant refurbishment, and developers expect the increased infrastructure spending to improve the city’s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mall, which was previously known as BT Ngebs City, is a regional shopping centre in the city’s central business district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April 2024, Flanagan & Gerard Property Group and Vukile Property Fund acquired the mall, marking the beginning of a new chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the purchase price of R800 million, the new owners also invested R210 million into the mall to improve flow, design, and the tenant mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mall’s vacancy rate has improved dramatically, declining from 18% to just 1.85%, highlighting strong demand for quality retail space in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MDS Architecture is reimagining the 60,000 square meter shopping centre. Construction on the facelift is currently in progress and is expected to be finished by June 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Mall of Mthatha is a single-level shopping centre on top of a super basement and adjoins a hotel and a casino in the precinct,” said Pierre Lahaye, partner at MDS Architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It is well located and has the potential to become a new urban precinct for Mthatha. Every detail has been crafted to enhance the shopper journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extensive structural and civil engineering works are part of the project scope, and the developers have invested heavily in servicing and repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the new features of the redevelopment is the introduction of escalators that connect the basement car park to the retail level. The existing ablutions have already been rebuilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the existing parking basement has a high underside of soffit level, enabling an additional retail GLA of 725 sqm via a new mezzanine level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new mezzanine allows for the added convenience of connecting the basement parking via escalators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The existing car showroom area has been replaced with a new food offering of contemporary restaurants, strengthening the mall’s connection with the adjacent Casino and Mayfair Hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MDS Architecture said the new owner-operated restaurants, with external covered seating areas complemented by lush landscaping, create an inviting ambience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis area has been designed as an urban square environment, offering entertainment options, and seamless connections to the hotel and casino,” said Paul Gerard, MD of Flanagan & Gerard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The buildings have been integrated into a cohesive precinct to create a vibrant destination in Mthatha where the community can relax, shop and enjoy quality entertainment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe created a new look and feel, adding definition with bulkheads and using a new colour palette and paint techniques, as well as new lighting and soft interiors,” said Lahaye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Columns have been added, and the natural light in the shopping centre has been amplified. The promotional courts are now in line with high brand standards.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new ablutions will also better serve the needs of a 60,000 square meter shopping centre. The new facilities and upgraded toilets now have proper vanities, lighting, and high-quality finishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mall of Mthatha growth <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Despite a large portion of the Eastern Cape being rural, Mthatha has an established university -the Walter Sisulu University. The area also has a golf course and a high-rise office block. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MDS Architecture said that investment in the Mall of Mthatha and increased infrastructure spending bode well for the city’s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe envisage a new town square evolving at the Mall of Mthatha precinct to bring together the various aspects of this development,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With extensive upgrades, the reimagined BT Ngebs City unlocks the mall\u2019s potential, creating a more engaging, appealing, and convenient experience for everyone in a province with immense potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The retail mix at Mall of Mthatha is also getting a boost, with new retailers focusing on essential goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dis-Chem has recently joined other well-known retail brands at the mall, such as Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Checkers and now a new Shoprite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photos and renderings of the upgraded Mall of Mthatha<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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The Mall of Mthatha is undergoing a significant revamp, which is expected to improve the economy in the surrounding area. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":821945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[5223,11649,19939,20391,4067,17208,949],"class_list":["post-821942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-checkers","tag-dis-chem","tag-flanagan-gerard","tag-mds","tag-pick-n-pay","tag-vukile-property-fund","tag-woolworths"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=821942"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":822153,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821942\/revisions\/822153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/821945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=821942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=821942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=821942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}