Tshwane-China Shopping Mall, the first of its kind in Pretoria, opens on November 2, 2013. (By Li Jianguo)                          

South Africa's capital Pretoria welcomed its first of a kind Tshwane-China Shopping Mall on November 2, 2013, with traditional Chinese dragon and lion dances northeast of the city.

Tshwane-China Mall Shopping Mall specializes in “Made in China” household appliances, clothing, luggage and bags and toys.

According to director Shenton Sun, the Tshwane-China Shopping Mall that covers an area of 30,000 square meters and can accommodate more than 80 businesses. The premises is currently 80 percent occupied, and the seven larger venues, each excessing 200 square meters, are reserved for hypermarkets.

He said that the mall will provide a platform for affordable “Made in China” products to be sold directly to the public and therefore save costs for manufacturers and importers.

Sun said that Tshwane-China Shopping Mall is different to other China malls operating in South Africa in three aspects. First, it only sells Chinese brand products; second, no rent is charged to store owners who pay a percentage of their turnover to the mall; third, cash is not used in the mall - customers are encouraged to use credit cards or the mall’s rechargeable cards.

According the plan, the mall will be developed into a shopping center integrating a food city, a cinema and a children’s recreation center. The cinema and food city is scheduled to open in March, 2014.

Sun said that they are considering to expand the business into the wholesale and online shopping sectors, and develop a China mall chain in South Africa.