Tshepo Mokhobo’s article on township malls misses some Kasi’s economic and social points
In the immediate aftermath of the devastating looting, which shocked all of us, I got a call from my cousin, who works and resides in Cape Town. Although he was sympathetic to our plight, he shared a social media article hostile to the existence of township malls in their current form. My cousin agreed with the argument of the article that township malls are instruments of poverty and exploitation. I disagreed, based on my experience of growing up and living in a township.
Although I agree with Makhobo’s assertion that malls in general, not only township malls, can be hostile spaces, I disagree with his statement that the ‘… malls can be destructive to local economies and communities’. Having lived in a township long enough, I have seen how these malls have transformed local economies and communities. They have boosted the informal economy.
In my humble view, the greatest threat to the township economy and community stability is Eskom’s erratic supply of electricity to the townships. Constant power cuts caused by five-hour unscheduledn or loadshedding and regular sub-station breakdowns harm local corner trading stores and spaza shops. My local corner store had to close for two years because one of the electricity street power boxes broke down. Eskom refused to fix it, alleging illegal connections.
I am not sure how “the existence of malls undermine real-estate owners”, as Mokhobo asserts. This is a throwaway statement without elaboration. This is contrary to reality, at least in the case of Soweto. Besides Maponya, two of the biggest malls, Jabulani and Protea Glen, were built and are owned by a black property owner,.
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