Soweto, South Africa (AHN) - A 65,000 square meter mall worth $86 million opened in Soweto, and officials say the mall marks an economic turnaround in South Africa. The opening of Maponya Mall, which features 200 stores and eight movie theaters, is expected to boost the city's prominence and help it rise from a suburb of Johannesburg to its own city.
The shopping promenade is expected to generate jobs and speed up the ongoing economic boom in Soweto. Johannesburg Mayor Amos Masondo noted Soweto is not just undergoing a facelift, "it is undergoing a racial reconstruction and the mood is one of excitement."
$86 Million Shopping Mall Helps To Heal Racially Divided South Africa | September 30, 2007 | AHN