Mall to be beacon of economic hope
ALEXANDRA - The Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce (GALXCOC) is hoping its successes as a catalyst in protecting and promoting the interests of the township's businesses will be part of the township's history when and if its written.
The Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Galxcoc) is hoping to leave a lasting legacy through its successes as a catalyst in protecting and promoting the interests of the township’s businesses.
The chamber recently won the Chamber of the Year Award from the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the second year in a row. It is now spearheading the development of the Alex Mall in Tsutsumani which, in 18 months, will see a major change in the texture of the local economy and the feel and outlook of the township.
The chamber’s president Mpho Motsumi said the award was recognition that they were doing something positive for the township and its residents.
“It gave a positive image of us to outsiders and consolidated the trust of public and private partners in the development of the mall, which local businesses, especially members of the chamber, should exploit for their benefit and improvement of services and products to the public,” Motsumi said.
He added that the chamber has prepared entrepreneurs to be the mall’s tenants and it is up to them to succeed as they have the capacity to provide quality services required of any mall for as long as they believed in themselves. “We facilitated workshops for them on how and where to access start-up funding and on franchising opportunities whose services and products are quality based,” he said.
Motsumi added that the mall would also be a drawcard for tourism to the township through a section which will display arts and crafts based on the township’s heritage and evolution.
“We are hoping to link the mall with the Marlboro Gautrain Station, one of the City’s major attractions, as a transport node from where tourists will be transported safely into Alexandra and the mall.”
He said tourism and other plans for up and downstream business opportunities connected to the mall were real steps in the right direction, but required local businesses to exploit them for local economic development and employment opportunities.
“In the process, the businesses will contribute to reducing crime which is a product of unemployment,” he said. Motsumi urged businesses to approach the chamber for more details on the mall.
Details: 011 440 7887.
