eMalahleni (Witbank) has a brilliant new landmark. Highveld Mall, the R450 million, 40,000m2 regional shopping centre located adjacent to The Ridge Casino in eMalahleni, opened successfully to crowds of shoppers on Thursday, 26 April 2007.

Highveld Mall has been developed by Flanagan & Gerard Property Development and Investment together with black owned and managed Falcon Forest Trading, in an equal joint venture. The mall was fully let three months prior to opening and construction of the development, which took 14 months from the commencement of earthworks, was completed on schedule.

Highveld Mall’s consortium of investors is led by JSE Limited listed property loan stock company Resilient Property Income Fund Limited (60% ownership), a 17,5% stake is owned by Changing Tides 91 (Pty) Limited (Flanagan & Gerard), 12,5% by Mogwele Trading 278 (Pty) Limited  (12,5%) and a company comprising BEE interests from the eMalahleni, Retraction Props 7 (Pty) Limited owns the remaining 10%.

Located adjacent to the Ridge Casino, on Mandela Drive at its junction with the N4 highway, the mall is fully air conditioned and enclosed. It physically links in to the Tsogo Sun-owned and operated The Ridge Casino and Entertainment Resort.

“Highveld Mall will be the definitive shopping and entertainment facility serving Witbank, Middelburg and the entire Highveld region of Mpumalanga and the eastern regions of Gauteng,” says Patrick Flanagan of Flanagan and Gerard.

Highveld Mall comprises over 110 retailers, many opening their first store in the region and the province, and is anchored by Edgars, Pick ‘n Pay and Woolworths with national retailers including  Cape Union Mart, Clicks, House and Home, Identity, Incredible Connection, Look & Listen, Meltz Mega Factory Store, Miladys, Mr Price Group, Musica, Pepkor, Queenspark, Reggies, Sheet Street, Spitz, Truworths.

These retailers are supported by a full range of fashion, clothing, footwear, sportswear, gifts, furnishings, home décor, cellular services, health care, restaurants, cultural and other services including the full banking services of Absa Bank, Nedbank, First National Bank and African Banks as well as the ATM facilities of Standard Bank.

Highveld Mall includes a magnificent Food Court which is located at the link to The Ridge Casino, via an escalator and a lift, which creates a natural fusion with the existing entertainment and cinema complex in the casino.

The shopping centre’s vibrant cafés and restaurants cater for the whole family and include Spur, Ocean Basket, Braza, Ciao Bella, Mimmo’s, Piatto Mediterranean Kitchen, Black Steer and Mugg & Bean Mozart Express, Cinnabon and Carvel, Milky Lane, Boesmanland Biltong, Sweets from Heaven, Delhi Delicious, King Pie, Cinnabon, Chowz Indian Cuisine and Take Away or Debonaires Pizza and News Café. The Food Court includes a wonderful outdoor element, allowing shoppers to admire the beautiful Highveld sunsets and vistas from the north-east.

Highveld Mall has been built to the highest quality and incorporates the latest international design trends – all to enhance the consumer experience.  Full-height shop fronts along the fully enclosed and air-conditioned malls with ample natural light create a contemporary environment. Tactile materials, full bodied porcelain tiles and finishes in colours inspired by the environment create aesthetically serene malls, interspersed with exciting courts.

The single-level, 550m long Highveld Mall has three main entrances, each characterised by strong design features to reflect the diverse economic wealth of the region. These structures create beacons which are clearly visible and enhance the centre’s superb visibility from both the highway and Mandela Drive. Highveld Mall’s brilliantly coloured entrances, resplendent with coloured glass, are inspired by local culture and drawn from the region, specifically Ndebele designs. They are given a modern edge with magnificent bright colours.

The vibrant colour of the entrances enhances the entire experience of the mall both inside and out. During the day a rainbow of colours will reflect onto the mall floors and shop windows adding to the visual appreciation of the overall interior design.

At night the colourful entrances and mall lighting will create beacons visible from far away forming a composition which is inviting and welcoming.

Highveld Mall also offers a vast array of shopper services including long shopping hours, guest and information services, Pristine bathrooms are located in three accessible positions throughout the mall and also cater specifically for families and those with special needs, free secure guarded and CCTV-monitored parking which is colour coded for easy visible orientation, discretionary hop-on/hop-off golf carts for transportation in the parking areas.

Fully accessible to shoppers with special needs, Highveld Mall has clearly marked parking bays carefully positioned at entrances available for cars displaying the correct disabled parking discs. All malls are accessible to wheelchairs and Highveld Mall provides wheelchairs for use in the mall from the Guest Services Centres.

Highveld Mall is one of South Africa’s most empowered property developments ever, with substantial black ownership, both development and construction being undertaken in joint ventures with black owned companies and numerous empowered local subcontractors and suppliers benefiting from contracts.

Highveld Mall has been developed by Flanagan & Gerard Property Development and Investment together with wholly black-owned and managed Falcon Forest Trading, in an equal joint venture. Main contractors WBHO undertook the building contract in a joint venture with local construction company MQG Construction.

“The development of Highveld Mall represents a significant new dimension in broad-based empowerment in that the 50% black partners have been actively involved in all aspects of the development,” says Sydney Malabie of Falcon Forest.

Falcon Forest is a wholly black-owned company which has been involved in all aspects of the development from conception, negotiating with municipality, community facilitation and funding arrangements. Furthermore it has ensured that local contractors are included in the construction of Highveld Mall by facilitating a joint venture with the main contractor.

“We have benefited significantly from skills transfer,” explains Malabie who believes that “Black ownership in the mall ensures long-term income from an asset with continually appreciating value establishing genuine wealth creation, not just for the present investors but for their future generations”.

Further benefits for the Highveld region include the retention of the purchasing power which is currently lost to areas of Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Jo’burg. At the same time it will attract shoppers from as far afield as Mozambique and Swaziland.

The area will also benefit increased economic prosperity through job creation with a total of approximately 1,000 permanent jobs being created as a result of the new mall and developers facilitating direct communication between retailers and the local Department of Labour for the placement of as many local workers as possible in these positions.