By Nangamso Mabindla
11 December 2007

THE R400-million Mdantsane City Mall passed another milestone yesterday when Executive Mayor Zintle Peter and other business partners were invited to its roof wetting.

The 35 000mē mall is owned and developed by property specialists Billion Group and will house about 120 retailers. These include Pick n Pay, Markham, Foschini, Cashbuild, Mr Price, Woolworths, Truworths, and Checkers.

Billion Group's projects director, James Stewart, said that during the construction of a major mall, there were three milestones. "The first milestone is the sod turning, and we did that last year; the second is the roof wetting; and the third is the actual opening of the mall for business."

The roof wetting was held on Monday, 10 December. Stewart said the mall would create over 1 000 permanent and 600 temporary jobs.

"The building is the product of a passion for community empowerment. This passion has led to a commitment to the use of local labour and subcontractors wherever possible, into the recruiting of local retailers, and into close communication between the professional team and the community to ensure participation in the mall."

Construction continues on the Mdantsane City Mall

Stewart said this participation would also ensure that people understood the centre's design and the economic opportunities it presented.

Speaking about the roof wetting, he said the company had invited all its partners, including Buffalo City, to show that the construction was going well.

"We took them on a tour around the mall to show them that we were on target with our plans. We also wanted to show them that the roof was complete and that the mall would soon be ready for business."

The Mdantsane City Mall, which will be the biggest shopping centre in East London, will be opened in April 2008.