Phangami Mall was launched on Thursday, 29th October by OMIGPI and its partner, Kerr Property Investments (Pty) Ltd.

Situated in Thulamela Local Municipality, the newly-opened Phangami Mall, with 27 shops and national chain store Shoprite as the anchor tenant, is best placed to meet the needs of this community.

This development falls within the Old Mutual Social Responsibility Investment (SRI) Real Estate Fund, and was built in partnership with Kerr Property Investments (Pty) Ltd, which provided development expertise and infrastructural assistance.

Fund Manager, Vusi Nondo says this retail development provides exposure to the Limpopo Province, increasing the geographical investment spend in underdeveloped nodes beyond the traditional Gauteng and the Western Cape nodes.

Situated on the periphery of the town, the mall takes advantage of a more decentralised market.

“It is the first decentralized retail development in the area – away from Thohoyandou and Sibasa’s CBDs, and it services eight township communities on the west of Thohoyandou as well as the surrounding villages,” says Nondo. 

With construction having begun in February this year, the modernised development is of high standard which enhances local and tourist appeal.

Nondo adds that, “it is also situated en route to the Punda Maria gate of the Kruger National Park and has the potential to attract significant spend related to tourism”.

With 7842m² of leasable area, Phangami Mall has 27 shops including a few national chains, with about 240 parking bays and has various other offerings in line with requirements of a quality shopping mall.

Managing Director of OMIGPI, Ben Kodisang, was pleased not only with the final product, but said this development benefits the community in many ways.

“Because the primary aim of the fund is on delivering an empowerment focus in South Africa, we are pleased that we can contribute to development in underdeveloped areas at various levels – from construction phase with job creation, until the actual operations of the mall,” Kodisang said.