Centre aims to change face of Mogale City

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04-03-2013
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The Sowetan
Source

MOGALE City municipality has unveiled plans to build a multibillion rand shopping centre with the aim of changing the economic face of one of its townships.

The R2-billion shopping centre, to be built just opposite the Leratong Hospital, will be the second of its kind in the West Rand township of Kagiso.

The 45 000m² mall will hope to attract foot traffic mainly from the residents of the area, users of a nearby taxi rank, the Leratong Hospital visitors, those who are heading for Soweto and Roodepoort and long-distance travellers to North West.

Trendville Consortium, which includes McCormick Property Development and Mogale City-based Sasuka Investments, will be responsible for the property development.

The project will be rolled out in three phases and will take about 10 years to complete. The first phase, which is a commercial hub, will start in May.

The first phase will include an intermodal public transport facility and an office park with a government precinct.

It will also include 2 000 housing units, a school, a church and a public park.

It is projected that the first phase will create about 2 500 jobs during construction.

About 1 500 of those jobs will be permanent jobs when the project ends.

Recent newspaper reports alleged that the municipality had fraudulently sold the land where construction will take place, which was under its jurisdiction, with the assistance of former MEC Humphrey Mmemezi.

“We reject these reports because everything was done above board and by the book,” Mogale City spokesman Nkosana Zali said.

“The payment was received in 2012.”

He pointed out that it was of grave concern for investors in the project to be associated with such controversy.

“The lengthy time delays prior to the commencement of the construction were occasioned solely by adherence to the legally prescribed process that had to be followed, ” he said.