Once-bustling mall now an eerie ghost town

The redevelopment of Highgate Shopping Mall into Home Africa, also known as China Mall West, has disadvantaged the neighbouring residents of Horseshoe, Riverlea.

Residents have had to find a means of purchasing their monthly necessities from alternative shopping malls.

This has become a daily inconvenience and physically taxing task for the pensioners in the community.

Home Africa was created as a construction and homeware specialty mall, aimed at retailing in building tools and household furnishings.

However, local pensioners have expressed the low need and demand for these items within the community.

“We need to buy groceries,” said Jenny Fortune (69).

Since the removal of Highgate’s popular retailers, local residents have had little to no access to adequate shopping retailers who supply monthly groceries and other household essentials.

“We normally have to go out of the area to places like Campus Square or Noordgesig to buy groceries,” said Jenny.

Since moving to the area in 1981, Jenny described the once ample array of retailers made available to residents through Highgate Mall, including a Pick n Pay.

“We have a shop available to us at Home Africa, but we can’t buy all the groceries we need from there, it’s like buying one thing at a time. We need a grocery store, like a Checkers, Pick n Pay or Shoprite,” she said.

Pensioners living in a retirement and old-age village in Extension Two have also expressed their struggle due to the lack of adequate and accommodating shopping retailers at Home Africa.

“We usually use a taxi to take us to Southgate Mall. We pay R25 to go and come back, which is quite a lot,” said Sonia Marshman (79), a 20 year resident of the retirement village.

“I would be so glad if they built a shopping centre like Checkers for us, that would be better,” she continued.

Elaine Isaacs (83), and Fouzia Rouessart (70) expressed the same views.

“We even had banks here,” said Elaine, a 5 year resident of the retirement village.

Elaine and Fouzia now have to withdraw their pension money and complete their shopping at Flora Centre in Florida or make purchases in Bosmont.

The only food store at Home Africa does not have a Halaal butchery which forces Muslim residents to travel to Bosmont to buy meat.

When entering the Home Africa premises, one is overwhelmed by the lack of business activity and the almost empty parking lot betrays the fact that no trade is being done at the centre.

The mall sees only a small influx of shoppers and potential buyers each day.

The quiet hallways are lined with vacant, closed-down retailers, while the operating stores stand silently in the face of little to no business prospects.

The needs and wants of the neighbouring Riverlea community have not been met.

There is a clear demand and opportunity for new, accommodating business.

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