Kwa-Thema and the surrounding communities from Selcourt, Sharon Park and Dunnottor celebrated Heritage Day at the grand opening of iTonka Square.

iTonka Square opened its doors welcoming customers to a variety of stores including Boxer, Clicks, Mr Price, Truworths, and Roots, among others.

They also have different fast food offerings such as Pedros, Hungry Lion, Debonairs Pizza, Steers and more.

The occasion included a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by the centre’s owners, William George Coetzer (Exemplar) and Lionel Kisten (Landmark), and the MMC for Community Infrastructure Development Agency, Dora Mlambo.

Kisten is the CEO of Landmark Real Estate and a director of the co-ownership (Exemplar and Landmark) of iTonka Square.

He revealed that the shopping centre created approximately 600 to 800 job opportunities during the construction phase for skilled and unskilled artisans and SMEs from wards 76, 77, 80 and 111.

From the start, the policy of Landmark and Exemplar was to empower the community to benefit from the building of iTonka Square and they did exactly this, wanting them to feel proud that they “had a hand” in building this beautiful, modern shopping centre.

“We created a special platform/website called Jobs for Good where the community could apply for permanent jobs. The retailers sourced employees from the website.

“Potential employees had to submit their CVs and proof of residence to prove that they’re from any of these four wards. And that’s how approximately 300 permanent jobs have been created,” Kisten said.

He also personally extended Landmark’s and Exemplar’s gratitude to every tenant who created these permanent jobs. The grand opening also marked the opening of a new Boxer Superstore.

“We are incredibly proud to have opened our doors and to be serving the Kwa-Thema community. My team and I are ready to welcome our shoppers every day and make sure they never pay more than the Boxer price,” said Boxer Superstores iTonka Square manager Bongiwe Mlibali.

The store features a fully stocked butchery offering quality cuts of meat, a bakery serving freshly baked favourites, a convenient hot foods deli and a vibrant fruit and vegetable department filled with fresh seasonal produce.

Shoppers can also make use of the convenient services available through the B Money Kiosk, making it easier to take care of everyday transactions while doing their grocery shopping.

Ten years ago, Kisten first identified the potential to develop a shopping centre on the site of what is now iTonka Square.

Kiston says the original vision was much bigger, but at the time the market could support only about 8 000 square metres.

The first phase opened in 2018 as Tonk Metre Crossing followed by an Engen filling station and a KFC drive-through developed by Landmark, who have a wealth of experience in developing shopping centres in underserviced areas nationally since 2002, from Soweto to Limpopo.

As the surrounding communities grew, Landmark saw an opportunity to develop a larger modern shopping mall closer to residents in Kwa-Thema, Dunnottar, Langaville, Selcourt and Sharon Park.

“We wanted to bring total shopping convenience under one roof on their doorstep,” Kisten explained.

Planning and leasing for the second phase began in 2023 and Kisten thanked Retail Network Services, for their sincere efforts and commitment in securing all the tenants (from national brands to small businesses) to make iTonka Square a reality and success.

Construction officially started in October 2025. By September 2026, iTonka Square had opened as a 21 500 square metre enclosed shopping mall, almost three times the size of the original development.

Kisten highlighted the centre’s mix of retailers and its food court, which he says gives residents a place to shop, eat and socialise without travelling long distances.

“It’s also the way we’ve designed it, it’s a social gathering place,” he said.

Kisten said this expansion ,the new iTonka Square, would not have been possible without his business partner Adam Markowitz , and McCormick Property Development and Exemplar, believing in Landmark’s vision.

He personally thanked Adam Markvitz, Jason McCormick, Duncun Church, Marisa du Plessis (from Exemplar) for their valuable contribution from the design phase, the correct tenant mix, the financial modelling, legal and administration, in making this development a reality.

He said this has been a remarkable partnership (the way partnerships should be mutually beneficial) and hopes this partnership will do other developments together.

He thanked Nedbank Commercial Finance for their funding. Kisten thanked their entire professional team, Mike Buyskies Construction and Pentacon Civil Construction, for their technical expertise and commitment.

He paid a special vote of thanks to Peter Wefelmeier, the lead project manager, on behalf of the co-ownership, who executed this project to design within budget and time period.

Kisten thanked the ward councillors representing wards 76 (the host ward), 77, 80 and 111 for their sincere efforts and professionalism in engaging with them and the communities from these wards in creating the many job and business opportunities.

He thanked the cleaning and security service providers for keeping the place clean and secured. He thanked Aubrey Buthelezi (the building manager) and Coetzer (operations manager) for all their assistance during contraction and the grand opening.

He thanked Gayle Crow (Exemplar) for making all the special arrangements for the grand opening. Kisten believes iTonka Square will be the catalyst and impetus to stimulate further economic growth and further commercial and residential development in the area.

He also revealed plans to expand the Lushanta Reading Foundation (a corporate and social initiative). The initiative provides free education to children aged five to 10, focusing on reading, writing and numeracy skills, while the expanded facility will also offer teenagers access to coaching, mentorship and a space to study.

The programme previously attracted around 150 children on Saturdays and employed five female teachers from the local community.

For Kisten, the opening of iTonka Square represents the completion of a 10-year vision and a partnership that remained focused on the same goal.

“Today I’m very proud to see the finished product. The vision coming to life,” he said. He thanked all the partners who made the development of the centre a success. Mlambo urged the community to take care of the centre.

“The community need to stand together to protect this beautiful place and even when things like looting happen, take a stand and say no,” she said.