Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg Herman Mashaba opens Alex Mall.

The Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, has issued a passionate plea to the people of Alexandra to protect their ‘baby’ in the form of the R500-million world-class Alex mall built in a sea of poverty.

Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the mall, which is a centenary legacy project of the township themed around the 100-year history of the mother of all townships, Mashaba said the establishment of the mall would alleviate poverty and joblessness in Alex.

“The establishment of this mall is exactly the kind of development that we, as the City of Johannesburg, would like to see taking place in this area of the city, as it will cushion you from poverty by providing you, the residents, with much-needed jobs and an income to provide for your loved ones, and at the same time, shield you from the harsh elements of unemployment,” he said.

“The existence of the mall spells more jobs and those jobs translate to more disposable income for the people of Alexandra. As I am told by the developer that employment preference was given to the local people except in cases where the skills needed do not reside within [Alex], hence I implore you to protect this mall – your baby – with all you can and have, to ensure its prosperity and your benefit.”

He added that the mall would provide an income for families for generations to come. “If it goes down, [you go down with it], hence the need to jealously guard it.”

Referring to the drug nyaope, Mashaba said it was ravaging the youth and destroying the fabric of family life. He appealed to residents to give politicians an ultimatum to get rid of the drugs, peddlers and the drug lords because if ‘we don’t, we’re doomed’.

Mashaba said strong family structures were needed now more than ever for communities to be successful. “The development challenges of Alex are quite massive and as the City alone, we don’t have the capability and capacity to deal with them.

“They [Alex problems] need a multi-pronged governmental approach in the form of cooperation of the Gauteng and national governments in order to solve them, including us as the third tier of government. I am not discounting the participation of the private sector which can also play a major role, as shown by the creation of this multimillion-rand mall.”

In his vote of thanks, Ward 105 councillor, Tefo Raphadu thanked the developers for changing the landscape of Alex for the better, which he described as the fruit of many years of blood, sweat and tears.

“This mall is a beacon of hope, not just for this suburb but for its residents and those in the surrounding areas, as one of the pillars of the creation of the mall is to stimulate shopping tourism which could also lead to social cohesion of races,” Raphadu said.

Edited by Allan Robertson

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