Major South African shopping mall closes due to protest and violence

Yesterday, 13 August, one e-hailing driver was shot dead, while two others were left injured outside Maponya Mall. The vehicles were also set alight by the criminals. 

Taxi operators are allegedly responsible for the attack, with several other clashes between e-hailing drivers and taxis hitting the area in recent years. 

Residents in the area and workers have descended onto the mall in protest of the brazen violence hitting the area. 

Protestors are demanding that the mall be closed for several days for mourning and that the security company hired at the mall be shut down. 

Residents have accused the taxi industry of trying to monopolise transport in the area. Protestors are blocking the road to prevent taxis from operating in the area. 

Despite being the primary mode of transport for millions of South Africans, taxis are renowned for extreme violence towards competitors and have been accused of terrorism.   

Protestors have also accused the mall ownership of sending security forces to the mall despite the protests remaining peaceful. 

Workers in the mall said that the violence between e-hailing and taxi operators will have knock-on effects for the whole community, with jobs lost across several sectors as people avoid the area for safety concerns. 

Opened in 2007, the 65,000 sqm Maponya Mall cost R650 million to build. 

The mall was owned by the late Dr Richard Maponya, one of the founders of African Bank, via the Maponya Group. 

The mall was developed in partnership with Investec and Zenprop Property Holdings. The mall is now owned by Redefine Properties in South Africa. 

Despite the current protest, the community has incredibly strong ties with the mall and even protected it during one of South Africa’s darkest periods.

In July 2021, at the height of unrest where over 300 South Africans died and billions were lost following the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma, residents protected the mall from potential looters.

Residents had an around-the-clock mission to protect the mall despite the freezing conditions and the potential violence that had beset other parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

The mall was credited as one of the main investments that brought formal retail close to Soweto in a bid to reverse apartheid-era spatial planning. 

Issued on BusinessTech by Luke Fraser | https://businesstech.co.za/news/property/835029/major-south-african-shopping-mall-closes-due-to-protest-and-violence/