This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7016050.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Giant Soweto shopping mall opens | Giant Soweto shopping mall opens |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Former South African President Nelson Mandela has opened the largest shopping centre in southern Africa in Soweto. | Former South African President Nelson Mandela has opened the largest shopping centre in southern Africa in Soweto. |
| The Maponya Mall marks a transformation for the Johannesburg township, once an impoverished centre in the struggle against apartheid. | The Maponya Mall marks a transformation for the Johannesburg township, once an impoverished centre in the struggle against apartheid. |
| The complex covers 65,000 sq m and has 200 stores and an eight-screen cinema. | The complex covers 65,000 sq m and has 200 stores and an eight-screen cinema. |
| It is the brainchild of 82-year-old entrepreneur Richard Maponya, who began in business by opening a dairy in Soweto in the 1950s. | It is the brainchild of 82-year-old entrepreneur Richard Maponya, who began in business by opening a dairy in Soweto in the 1950s. |
| Today I deliver to you my dream of 28 years Entrepreneur Richard Maponya Upmarket Soweto shopping class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/3735262.stm">Soweto marks centenary | |
| "I have been one of the sons of this town for a very long time. I have seen it grow," Mr Maponya said at the opening. | "I have been one of the sons of this town for a very long time. I have seen it grow," Mr Maponya said at the opening. |
| Standing close to the iconic statue of Hector Pieterson, the youngest victim of the 1976 Soweto student uprising against apartheid, he described how he struggled to get access to finance during his career as a black entrepreneur but kept persevering. | Standing close to the iconic statue of Hector Pieterson, the youngest victim of the 1976 Soweto student uprising against apartheid, he described how he struggled to get access to finance during his career as a black entrepreneur but kept persevering. |
| "Today I deliver to you my dream of 28 years," he said. | "Today I deliver to you my dream of 28 years," he said. |
| Fully fledged city | |
| Mr Mandela, who has not made a public appearance in Soweto for some years, sat alongside Mr Maponya as they listened to singers performing at the opening ceremony. | |
| It is Mr Mandela's first public appearance in Soweto for a while | |
| The BBC's Peter Biles says the first rains of the summer fell outside, which people believe is a blessing for the new shopping centre. | |
| Mr Maponya said the complex belonged to the one million residents of Soweto and Johannesburg's Mayor Amos Masondo said this was not just a facelift for the township but a radical reconstruction. | |
| Our correspondent says that Soweto has become the site of massive development. | |
| Property prices are rising and international tourists visit Mr Mandela's former family home. | |
| Last year, Soweto marked the 30th anniversary of the 1976 uprising when students rebelled against the white apartheid state in a protest over the use of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in schools. | |
| Our reporter says that Soweto is now looking forward to the day when it can become a fully fledged twin city of Johannesburg, rather than just a dormitory town. | Our reporter says that Soweto is now looking forward to the day when it can become a fully fledged twin city of Johannesburg, rather than just a dormitory town. |