Protestors blocked entry to the Liberty Promenade in Mitchells Plain on Monday August 31.

The protest was led by political party One Love Alliance. Leader Dwayne Jacobs put a video on his Facebook profile describing the morning’s events.

Economic inclusion

“We are law abiding citizens,” he said, adding that “they would not be dictated to” and that the party, supporters and residents had blocked the entrances to the Promenade in protest.

“We want the other political parties to know that this is our Mitchells Plain and we will decide for Mitchells Plain,” he said.

According to the protesters the party were peacefully protesting for “economic inclusion”.

“We will not back down,” one of the speakers said, demanding that the mall’s management come out to meet them.

“Our people need work but our people also need opportunities for business in this very Promenade that was built for our people,” one of the speakers at the protest said.

Another party representative took to the podium and encouraged shoppers to boycott the mall.

“Why is our money only good enough as buyers,” he asked. “If our businesses try to open in the mall, they are evicted.”

Mall’s history

The party’s demands are in line with the original vision for the mall when it was first conceptualised by the Mitchells Plain Development Trust in the late 90s and early 2000s. At the time the Trust was looking for investment for an industrial hub to expand the Town Centre which had become too small for Mitchells Plains commercial and economic needs. The original concept had always been designed to include small traders and create not only shopping but entrepreneurial and commercial spaces for residents.

Shamiel Kolbee, one of the original Trust members said the body was established specifically to build the mall and dissolved once it was bought over by the Liberty Group.

He said: “There was a whole area created for our people. And slowly, to our dismay, we saw a demise, slowly, every year you would see less.”

Kolbee said that he had visited the mall in recent years and sought out the original local vendors that had been previously been there but found none.

Kolbee said the original mall design had made space for small kiosks for local business but none of those are left.

“Our small local people are never given a chance,” he said. “There’s no support here in Mitchells Plain. Local government has just not done enough to develop industrialisation inside Mitchells Plain. It’s very sad for me to see what is happening to Mitchells Plain after I fought so hard to get the Promenade. Do you know it took seven years to build that thing? Seven hard years, it could have wiped us out. The few business people that started that thing, we could have been wiped out because it took so much from our businesses, but finally it was there. And then to see it being eroded daily, as we see now,” he said.

Kolbee said that the problem was not a lack of money since other businesses are able to stay open and the mall continues to expand.

“That mall outstrips most of the malls around in Cape Town for turnovers. That means the money is here. The money is right here. Mitchells Plain must be spending a billion rand per month and we get nothing back.”

Promenade responds

Promenade Mall centre management said: “Liberty Promenade continually reviews its retail mix to ensure that it responds to evolving market needs and remains relevant to the Mitchells Plain community. Our focus is on providing a diverse, accessible offering that reflects the needs and preferences of the local market. Opportunities for smaller traders remain available through flexible formats, including kiosks, centre court trading spaces and pop-up stores, alongside our permanent retail tenants.”

She added that the mall had regular community engagement. “Throughout the year, we support a range of initiatives led by local organisations, schools and community participants.”

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