Owned by the Futuregrowth Community Property Fund (Comprop) and managed by Capital Land Asset Management (Capital Land), Bridge City Shopping Centre originally opened in 2009 in the centre of Bridge City, a mixed-use precinct which connects the communities of Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu.
Said Smital Rambhai, fund manager of Comprop: “The July 2021 riots will forever remain in our memories as one of the most tragic events in South African history, with approximately 1,563 jobs lost at Bridge City Shopping Centre. We estimate that these jobs would have affected at least 10,000 lives in the communities of Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu who are supported by the income earned by staff working at the centre.
"Both Futuregrowth and Capital Land set an immediate strategy after the riots had settled, to embark on restoring the economic support that Bridge City Shopping Centre provides these communities. One of the key priorities was to restore access to essential goods and services, which we did with Superspar trading as early as June 2022 while the rest of the centre was being reconstructed."
According to Comprop, the double-level shopping centre's tenant mix has been strengthened through the strategic placement of existing and new tenants, as well as the establishment of fashion nodes, a banking hall on the upper level and a food court on the lower level.
Its new contemporary aesthetic was inspired by Bridge City Shopping Centre’s location and use as a transport hub in KwaMashu where retail intersects with transport in the forms of a train station and a recently developed taxi rank. Railway sleeper and track details are prominent in the ceiling and floor tile design throughout the centre.
