Construction on the new R400-million Eyethu Orange Farm Mall has started, with the development poised to be a major catalyst for the greater Sebokeng area, south of Johannesburg.

The mall is scheduled to open for trade in September 2014 and will provide more than 400 000 Orange Farm and Evaton community members with shopping facilities close to home.

With major retailers already having been secured for the 27 000 m2 mall and transport infrastructure upgrades under way, the regional mall development, with expansion rights of up to 35 000 m2 gross lettable area (GLA), is on track to form the core of Orange Farm’s new central business district.

Investors in the project include JSE-listed property loan stock company Dipula Income Fund, project developers Flanagan & Gerard and Stretford Land Developments (SDL) – each with a 30% stake in the project.

The remaining 10% stake has been designated to the Orange Farm Community Trust, which will be funded by the three listed partners, in collaboration with Standard Bank, on a pro rata basis.

The Eyethu Orange Farm Mall has been identified as a Presidential project and is, therefore, supported by the City of Johannesburg as a community upliftment initiative.

Road improvements and taxi rank upgrades are under way and links to the adjacent Stretford station are a key element of the mall’s design.

“We, the Orange Farm community and the City of Johannesburg’s Region G, are creating a new town centre, with an integrated transport hub that connects Eyethu Orange Farm Mall with Stretford station and the Golden Highway, which is to become the ‘Jabulani’ of the South,” says SDL CEO David Lieberman.

“The current critical mass of retail is 32 700 m2, with growth potential of about 61 000 m2 GLA on both sides of Stretford station,” he adds.

A key attribute of the mall’s location on Orange Farm Link road is its ability to serve not only local shoppers from Orange Farm and Evaton but also commuters and shoppers from the greater Sebokeng region.

“Where a community has no mineral wealth, its only wealth is its buying power,” says SDL business partner Vusi Tshabalala. He adds that Eyethu Orange Farm Mall has created an avenue for the community to participate in its own wealth creation through ownership in the mall.

The residential areas of Orange Farm and Evaton have been subjected to fast-paced growth in recent years, with a current popula-tion of 400 000 people for 110 000 households. Most households fall into the lower- or middle-income bracket.

In addition, about 50 000 households are situated within a 10 km radius of the mall and about 20 000 additional households are forecast to be established in close proximity to the site over the next decade, according to Dipula Income Fund CEO Izak Peterson.

“The employment impact of that is significant, as this development is projected to create 3 000 permanent jobs and about 3 000 temporary jobs during the construction phase,” says Peterson.

He points out that the development is “bringing dignity back” to the Sebokeng community and will become a catalyst for further economic development.

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This project is going to become a service hub of the South and Dipula is delighted to be part of it. This investment is in line with our strategy to invest in previously disadvantaged communities and make a meaningful contribution towards their upliftment.”