Leratong City Mall opens in Kagiso as the first phase of the R5bn Leratong Smart City

Exemplar REITail opened Leratong City Mall in Kagiso on 29 October 2026, delivering the first phase of the R5 billion Leratong Smart City on Gauteng's West Rand. The single-level regional centre has 89 tenants and sits at the R41/R558 crossroads, directly opposite Leratong Hospital, serving Kagiso, Tshepisong and Azaadville. Property Flash puts the centre at 34,000 m², which would make it Exemplar's second-largest mall, while other pre-opening reports used a figure of 42,000 m². It was built in 17 months after construction began in June 2025. "We have delivered on time and on budget once again," said Exemplar CEO Jason McCormick.

A tenant mix built around daily needs

The mall follows the pattern that has made township and commuter retail one of the strongest parts of the South African market. Shoprite, Boxer and Pick n Pay anchor the groceries, joined by Clicks, Dis-Chem, nine banks and financial service providers, and more than 60 fashion stores. There is an 11-restaurant food court and three sit-down restaurants outside, along with taxi facilities that tie the centre into the way many of its shoppers actually travel. The development also includes a 1,000-seat amphitheatre with a digital screen and children's play areas, which gives the centre a community role beyond shopping.

Solar and green finance

Leratong has preliminary EDGE Advanced certification, based on its design, with final certification normally following verification of the completed building. Its 3.3 MW rooftop array of 5,376 panels is projected to cut grid electricity use by about 31%. Nedbank CIB Property Finance provided the funding. The project created 1,096 construction jobs, and more than 20 small businesses from surrounding wards were contracted during the build.

A much larger plan behind it

The mall is only the start. The wider Leratong Smart City is a 350-hectare node planned with the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, Mogale City and Trendville, with McCormick Property Development as developer. It is meant to bring about 15,000 housing units, a private hospital, schools, parks, government offices and a commercial precinct over the next 10 to 15 years, and is expected to support about 2,500 permanent jobs once complete. For Exemplar, this was one of several 2026 openings. Moletsi Mall in Limpopo was scheduled to follow on 30 October, and three more centres are under construction for 2027: Ntuzuma Mall and KwaMashu Point in KwaZulu-Natal and Dan City Mall in Limpopo.

For retailers and service businesses, new regional centres like this often lift demand for space in the surrounding area as well. See current retail space to let in Gauteng or across South Africa.

Source: Property Flash, 29 October 2026.

Source: Daily Investor, 27 October 2026.

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