First escalators in the Vhembe area

The opening of the new Thavhani Mall in Thohoyandou last week has been warmly received by locals and the neighbouring towns that do not have such a facility.

On Friday, traffic and police officials had their hands full controlling the thousands of ecstatic shoppers arriving at the mall to do their shopping. The mall officially opened on Thursday (24^th), but things were just as busy a day later.

The new mall has become a beacon of hope for many in terms of employment. The 134 stores that opened employ hundreds of local residents and will provide a huge boost to the region’s economy.

On Friday, the main attraction, however, seemed to be the escalators. As far as could be established, this was the first time that escalators had been installed in a shopping centre in the Vhembe area. Young and old lined up to take a ride on the escalators.

Watching from a distance while the shoppers enjoyed riding on the escalators, Thovhele Nkhaneni Ramovha said: “My heart was filled with joy when I saw the shoppers’ excitement over the new escalators. This will help our most valued customers to make their shopping more convenient at Thavhani Mall.”

The new mall also boasts facilities and services such as baby changing rooms, family parking bays, and parking areas and facilities for disabled people. “I saw people running and screaming as if they couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw what new changes the new mall brought to the community,” he said.

Thavhani Mall has brought several new and unique world-class retail brands to the region. The names of the new shops include those of Woolworths Food, McDonald’s, Mr Price Sport, Hi-Fi Corporation, Incredible Connection, Cape Union Mart, Tread+Miller, Keedo, American Swiss Jewellers, House & Home, The Hub, Rochester, Spur, News Café, Cross Trainer, Queenspark, Mr Price Home, Bogart Man and Green Cross.

One of the excited shoppers, Ms Sedzani Masindi, said that the new mall would make things easier as the shops were all in one place and "the elevators and escalators will also help disabled people and those with trolleys to move from one floor to another."

Date:01 September 2017

By: Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

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