Bithday cake for Maponya Mall

Prizes and giveaways were handed out to shoppers at Maponya Mall, when Soweto’s first regional mall celebrated its fourth year of trading.
MAPONYA Mall turned four on a chilly Sunday, with thousands of people flocking to the mall to celebrate with the owner, Richard Maponya, and musicians Lira and Zahara.

Singing sensation Zahara mesmerises the crowdSinging sensation Zahara mesmerises the crowdAlthough the schedule was delayed a little by the rain, everything went well and many shoppers walked away with freebies such as cellphones, airtime and vouchers that were awarded to contestants who sang and danced at the party, held on 2 October.

The vibe escalated when singer Zahara was escorted to the stage by security guards. Everyone wanted a piece of her, with photographers battling to get a picture.

The Loliwe hit maker lived up to expectations in her performance. Everyone sang along, from the young children to the adults, and when she was done they demanded an encore. Attention shifted immediately away from her, however, when Maponya took to the stage, with everyone shouting in unison, “Maponya! Maponya!”

The obviously ageing businessman was helped to walk by the mall’s marketing manager, Mandisa Mzizi. But his excitement was clearly seen in his smile, as he grabbed the microphone to address the masses. “This is your mall enjoy it,” he said.

Patrons then sang happy birthday and Maponya told them he wanted everybody to have a piece of cake for the celebration.

Birthday cake
He left the stage via the entrance in the Lira court, just next to the Hector Pieterson sculpture, where Sibongile Khumalo sang happy birthday while Maponya cut the cake.

Mzizi said she was glad that everything went as planned, despite a little disturbance caused by rain earlier on in the day. “Thank you, community of Soweto, for supporting us. May you continue supporting us,” she added.

Lucia Pedinyane was one those at the celebrations; she said she often came to the mall even though she lived in Auckland Park. “I love the fact that you experience a bit of two worlds. On the other side it’s all fancy and when you cross the road it’s a township.”

Sibongile Khumalo sings for Richard MaponyaSibongile Khumalo sings for Richard MaponyaPedinyane, a huge fan of Zahara, said her performance was the highlight of the event. “It was my first time I saw her performing thanks to Maponya Mall. May you see many more years,” she added.

The multi-award winning singer Lira also did not disappoint the patrons who had come to celebrate the day. She performed a number of her popular songs such as Feel Good and Ixesha.

The 7 500 square metre mall was opened by Nelson Mandela on 27 September 2007. It has about 200 tenants, including big, well-known retailers such as Edgars, Woolworths and Pick n Pay, as well as Sterkinekor Junction for movies.

The mall, the first regional shopping centre built in Soweto, was the idea of Maponya, who worked for 28 years at persuading financial providers to back him. Maponya Mall is located on one of Soweto’s busiest roads – Chris Hani Road, formerly known as Potch Road, in Klipspruit, Extension 5.