Shoppers question if stores were ready for Mall of Africa grand opening

Midrand was a frenetic buzz of activity on Thursday with the opening of the 300-store Mall of Africa shopping centre‚ a 116‚000 square metre shopping centre that developers say is larger than Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront and a rival to Sandton City in size. Despite the widespread excitement‚ some consumers are disappointed with what they say is a rush job. Millicent Masingi‚ Karabo Majatjabothata and Gugu Mbullah from Klipfontein View all came to the mall at around 7am this morning. "They rushed it for the opening day and they could have shifted the opening date - people are still cleaning tiles and some shops are closed‚” said Majatjabothata. “It is still really great‚" she added. Masingi echoed her friend by stating that it was disappointing but that she had a great time. "I've never seen a mall so huge before‚ it's beautiful‚" she said. Game‚ Dion Wired‚ Incredible Connection and other stores had opening day sales that drew hundreds of shoppers into queues extending around the corners of the shops entrance. Lebo Mabunda from Tembisa came to buy a Dstv Explorer from Game‚ who offered a special deal for the first 600 buyers‚ but found the waiting too much. "We got here at 7 and the lines were so long we just couldn't stand in the queue. We even went to Dion Wired and Incredible Connection but the lines were just as long‚" he said.