Vukile Property Fund has completed the R90 million upgrade of its Daveyton Mall in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, one of the first township malls developed in South Africa.
“Shoppers can look forward to a beautifully upgraded mall which is on par with other contemporary retail centres in South Africa”, says Laurence Rapp, CEO of Vukile Property Fund.
Daveyton Mall relaunched on the 27th of April 2022 following a year-long construction with continued community engagement. A Community Liaison Officer was appointed as the first point of contact for local construction SMMEs and labourers. As a result, 13 local SMMEs were subcontracted, and 43 local labourers were employed on the project.
Inside and out, the revamped mall embodies its community. Its new entrances have been built into tall, colourful, and welcoming beacons with the original mall structure and new extension woven together by repeating brickwork details.
To ensure its bright and beautiful aesthetic is extended inside, the mall chose murals and installations for its interior design from more than 50 artworks submitted by local talent which will be displayed permanently. The internal passages have also been brightened with skylights, higher bulkheads and shopfronts, and glossy tiles.
“We have improved the shopping variety by introducing more apparel from famous national brands and a brand-new food court including a welcoming common sitting area with more fast-food offerings. Keeping the tenant mix relevant, appealing, and exciting will remain an ongoing exercise,” says Itumeleng Mothibeli, MD SA at Vukile.
Vukile has introduced Truworths, Identity, and Footgear to its fashion line-up and Pedros Chicken, Chicken Xpress, and Romans Pizza to its fast-food menu, joining an already successful retail mix led by the mall’s original anchor tenant, Pick n Pay, including OBC Chicken, Mr Price, Pep, Jet, and various national and local brands, including Ackermans, Clicks, Sportscene, KFC and Debonairs.
New outside benches and shading canopies have been added to the mall to cater for the long queues of customers who collect social grants each month. These queues often stretch outside the mall, and the new benches and shading will ensure a more comfortable wait. The mall’s new design also includes free-of-charge promotional areas where community members can display and sell their goods.
The redevelopment has also enabled the mall to offer free in-centre Wi-Fi for customers.
With biodiversity and water savings in mind, as well as creating a beautiful environment, nearly 100 indigenous, water-wise trees will provide shade in the parking areas – a giant green leap forward from the previous count of three trees. The largest of these original trees was kept, as were most of the existing gardens containing wild irises.
All the new lighting, interior, and exterior is energy-saving LEDs with the parking area and building perimeter having improved illumination, security surveillance and CCTV monitoring at night.
“The successful delivery of the new Daveyton Mall is thanks to the support of the Daveyton community, the new design by VDO Architects’ which heroes the local culture and colour, and the contractor, Radon Projects, which ensured a safe site where opportunities were given to local contractors and workers. We are extremely pleased with outcome of this collaboration and honoured to take this legacy mall into the future with the community of Daveyton,” concludes Mothibeli.