Maponya Mall turns four

Lira and Zahara will sing to Maponya Mall on its birthday at a free concert. The Soweto shopping centre has been such a success, expansion plans are on the table.
SOWETO'S buzzing Maponya Mall will celebrate its fourth birthday on 2 October with the Afro-jazz musicians Lira and Zahara entertaining shoppers.

Zahara will perform at the anniversary celebrationsZahara will perform at the birthday celebrationsIn September 2007, Nelson Mandela cut the golden ribbon to declare the mall open at a launch that was attended by the likes of former mayor Amos Masondo as well as the founder of the mall, Richard Maponya.

On the day of the celebration, singers Lira and Zahara will perform a free concert in the shopping centre at 11.15am.

According to Mandisa Mzizi, the mall's marketing manager, its association with South Africa’s leading artists began in October 2010, when Richard Maponya honoured four well-known musicians – Hugh Masekela, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Sibongile Khumalo and Lira – by naming the court spaces after them.

"As Maponya Mall, we wanted to send out a huge message of thanks to the people of Soweto for their support. We couldn’t celebrate four years of success without our loyal patrons, and we are looking forward to hosting them at the fourth birthday celebrations, where South Africa’s songbirds, Lira and Zahara, will perform for us all," explains Mzizi.

At the third birthday, the deejay, Black Coffee, played non-stop for 60 hours in a bid to break a deejaying world record.

LiraSongbird LiraThe mall was a dream come true for Maponya, the well-known Sowetan businessman, who spent almost three decades persuading financial providers and developers to support his idea. “Nobody could believe there could be a mall of that size in Soweto that could be supported by the people of Soweto,” says Maponya.

But he persevered and said he always believed the people of Soweto deserved a better deal. “I wanted to turn Soweto into a city within a city,” he adds.

He believes the mall has raised property values in the area and has helped to normalise a long under-served market. “Demand has been such that an extension to the mall, from 75 000 square metres to 120 000 square metres is already being planned."

He also has a word for the youth of today, encouraging them to work hard and get educated. Then they can open their own businesses to create more jobs opportunities and attend to poverty.