Kwamnyandu Shopping Centre is situated centrally within Umlazi, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu Natal, at the point where the M30 (Griffiths Mxenge Highway) meets the train line at the Kwamnyandu Station.

The M30 (Griffiths Mxenge Highway) is a central east-west route which bisects Umlazi. It forms a central mobility route and a spine along where most economic activity and infrastructure investments are concentrated. It connects to high mobility routes such as the N2, M4 and R102 thereby facilitating access throughout the eThekwini Municipality.

The Kwamnyandu Train Station is situated centrally in Umlazi and is the second busiest train station in KwaZulu Natal with approximately 24 000 commuters per day.

The Shopping Centre is being funded by Nedbank Corporate Property Finance who has also funded the BEE component of a 25% shareholding in Kwamnyandu Shopping Centre.

The development is a partnership between the eThekwini Municipality, PRASA, and the KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre Ltd.

Developer, Mr Carlos Correia, explained that KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre (Pty) Ltd, was awarded the developmental rights by PRASA to develop a retail and commercial facility in D section, Umlazi last year.

"The KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre Pty Ltd, is a Broad Based Black Economic and Community Empowerment company which was established for the purpose of developing the shopping centre.

It comprises of three broad groups, Isolenu Group Holdings, Kwamnyandu Participation Company (Pty) Ltd and Bizvest 12 (Pty) Ltd with over 40% of KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre's equity comprising of historically disadvantaged individuals and entities. We are proud and really excited to see this project to fruition."

The BEE consortium (Udengezi Holdings (Pty) Ltd) consists of various organizations within Umlazi. Udengezi shareholders consist of The Umlazi Business Transport Forum Trust, whose beneficiaries are members forming the Ningizimu 2 Region.

Indonsa Trust, whose beneficiaries are the informal traders who trade in the surrounding areas of the Kwamnyandu Station, the UTA Trust, whose beneficiaries are formal traders who are members of the Umlazi Traders Association, the Liyabuya Trust whose beneficiaries are former members of Umkonto Wesizwe at Umlazi, the Umlazi Sando Trust, whose beneficiaries are members of the Disabled Organisation and the Ivumisa Trust, whose beneficiaries are members of the Umlazi Business Forum.

There are approximately 1200 beneficiaries in Udengezi Holdings (Pty) Ltd.

The shopping centre will act as a catalyst for further investment in the area. The Municipality will be investing nearly 200 000m2 of bulk infrastructure into the node over the next few years, and the public will have the benefit of an upgraded train station together with an intermodal transport hub that will allow shoppers easy access between rail and taxis.

A new Taxi rank will be developed on site and over 700 private parking bays will be created. The development has also made provision to incorporate the new proposed eThekwini Bus Rapid Transport System which is currently in its planning phase.

A memorandum of agreement between the KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre and the Municipality was entered into for a pavement and cycle lane to be built along the M30 physically linking the King Zwelithini Stadium, the shopping centre and the Mangosuthu University of Technology.

Approximately 120 000 people live within a 2 km radius of the Shopping Centre, with a total potential spend of about R600m per annum.

Kwamnyandu Shopping Centre will consist of over 23 000 m² of GLA with the 2 major food anchors being Shoprite and Pick n Pay.

The fashion component will consist of Truworths, Identity, Markhams, Total Sport, The Scene, Exact, Jet, Edgars Active, Sterns, Foshini, Ackermans, PEP, Studio 58, Mr Price Apparel with many other KZN based fashion companies.

Other national tenants that will be present in the Shopping Centre will consist of PEP Cell, McDonalds, Fish & Chips Company, Chicken Licken, Hungry Lion, Debonairs, Steers, Torga Optical, Spec Savers, African Bank, Capitec Bank, Standard Bank, Nedbank, Morkels, Electric Express, Joshua Doore and Bradlows.

The shopping Centre is expected to open by Easter 2014.