improvement , but retail facilities have always been rather limited , necessitating residents to frequently shop in other areas .
The international commercial architectural firm of Bentel Associates International ( BAI ) were retained by the developers to design a practical , yet upmarket , shopping centre for Gugulethu while taking due cognisance of the local community and its culture and needs .
“ This is an exceptionally functional 25,000m 2 retail centre which offers a diverse range of options to shoppers ,” says Stephen Roberts , BAI senior director and project architect . ” The R350-million Gugulethu Square is the first fully enclosed township mall in the city .”
The developers of the Square , West Side Trading 600 ( Pty ) Ltd - a joint venture between Mzoli Properties ; the IDEAS Fund - a partnership product between Old Mutual and Unity ( a
consortium of trade unions ); Group Five , Khula Finance and a community investment scheme - have consulted widely with the local community to ensure an extensive range of shopping options and the support of the local population . This consultation has involved a four-tier approach - initial stakeholder engagement , the formation of a project steering committee ( PSC ), public meetings and the appointment of a community liaison officer . The highly representative PSC ’ s role is to provide a channel for the community to interact with and monitor the project .
Theme The name ‘ Gugulethu ’ is a contraction of ‘ igugu lethu ’, which is the Xhosa word for ‘ our pride ’. Roberts says that the architects have utilised this phrase as a theme in the design of the centre , which incorporates upmarket porcelain floor
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