Watercrest Mall thrives months after looting

IT’S been six months since the looting and unrest heavily impacted communities in the Highway area. The unrest led to many shops, malls and small businesses to shutting their doors while the necessary rebuilds took place.

ALSO READ: Mariannhill precious centre vandalised, stripped during looting

Watercrest Mall and the neighbouring businesses in Waterfall spent months working together to rebuild and reclaim what was lost.

“During this time, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of loyalty, support and assistance we’ve received. Without a second thought, members of the community immediately rallied to pitch in and clean up Watercrest, as well as the surrounding roads in our suburb,” said marketing manager for Watercrest Mall, Elizabeth Roux.

The looting happened over a period of a week and destroyed the majority of the stores at the shopping centre.

The mall installed a Wall of Hope outside one of its vandalised shops, and shoppers shared encouraging messages of hope.

“The sheer volume of messages expressing care and concern, sent via social media, and the encouraging words on our Wall of Hope, served as a beacon of hope for many of us in those difficult times,” she said.

The resilient tenants started cleaning and clearing their stores as soon as it was safe to do so. Checkers was able to re-open four days later.

According to Roux, 99% of the shops at the Upper Highway mall have re-opened and resumed trading.

Watercrest Mall has also welcomed many new store openings and upgrades during this time, including: Drone Gear, Foto Fame, Cilantro, Deco Royale, Games Dot Com, Style, Mr Price Sports, Plush Car wash, Cotton On (expanded its shop), Spur (underwent a remodel and play area expansion), Kolors by Kris (pop up), Wild Fig (pop up), the Festive Market (pop up) and Whitehouse, which will open in March this year.

“From the centre management team, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our tenants and the Upper Highway residents for your continued support and kindness. We look forward to seeing you all again at Watercrest Mall,” said Roux.

The looting gravely affected other parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng and left more than 70 people dead.

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