Chronicle Editor
Raymond Jaravaza – [email protected]
IT was a sight to behold, seeing boys from so-called rival schools in a single queue buying takeaways at the new swanky mall in Bulawayo without throwing punches at one another.
It’s a Friday afternoon and Saturday Leisure is spending time at the new iMbali Mall situated on Robert Mugabe Way.
From outside in the street, the two-storey building looks just like any other normal structure in the City of Kings before one walks in, except for the shiny tiles on the floor and appealing signage at the entrance.
As one walks in, what quickly catches the eye is the glass staircase that leads shoppers to the top floor of the mall.
Shiny glasses, turned into steps that lead to the first floor illuminate the place on a hot afternoon with patrons making way to various joints such as restaurants, clothing and gift shops as well as pharmacies.
Waiting in line in an orderly fashion, behaviour normally alien with the schoolboys, students from Gifford and Milton high schools queue to buy takeaways from a fancy eatery.
“We don’t have time to fight here, everyone (pupils) is welcome to socialise at the mall.
“It’s a nice place to hang around unlike Bulawayo Centre, which is now boring and outdated,” a Milton High School pupil tells this reporter while his friends buy doughnuts and fried chips.
Three more Gifford High students also wait in line, patiently, for the queue to move.
On any other day, the sight of Milton and Gifford High School boys meeting in the same space is a recipe for running battles and fights.
But it appears not at iMbali Mall, the perfect example of simple yet sophisticated.
The number of businesses operating at the new mall easily number under 30, on both the ground and first floors, but appeal to the everyday customer.
From eateries to pharmacies, shoppers experience the joy of shopping in a relaxed environment that offers value for money and time.
Nomalanga Sibindi, who works at a salon in the city centre, enjoys dining at a popular eatery conveniently perched on the first floor, where she and her friends have a bird’s eye view of people entering the mall.
“This mall, although small compared to the ones we see in Harare and Johannesburg, gives an ambience that is totally different from other places in Bulawayo.
“If you come here often for lunch or dinner you will get to know the other patrons because the people that eat here are a small community whose faces you can easily remember.
“I’m not bothered that students have also turned the mall into a place to hang out, they also have a right to be here as long as they behave,” said Sibindi.
The restaurant that Sibindi and companions were enjoying lunch in was packed for a Friday afternoon when one would expect people to be wrapping up their work for the closing week before letting their hair loose.
The city is indeed starved for exquisite hang out spots that offer a family-friendly experience and the coming in of iMbali Mall is a welcome development for Bulawayo.
Online Reporter