East Rand Mall celebrated an incredible milestone over the weekend of February 27-28, commemorating nine consecutive years as the winner of the best shopping centre title in the Best of Ekurhuleni Readers’ Choice Awards (BoE).

The prestigious annual BoE awards, hosted by Caxton Newspapers, are one of Ekurhuleni’s most respected and enduring competitions. Thousands of residents cast their votes across a wide range of categories to determine the crème de la crème of local businesses and service providers – from places to eat, drink and shop, to venues for entertainment, study and everyday living.

Also Read: Boksburg businesses shine at BoE

For the past nine years, East Rand Mall has scooped the best shopping centre award back-to-back, cementing its reputation as a firm community favourite.
Boasting 180 stores, the well-situated mall offers variety, convenience and leisure, catering to the needs of a dynamic community constantly on the move.

A celebration of community
Celebrations were held under the theme, ‘9 Years, 9 Wins, One Amazing Shopping Centre’. Festivities kicked off on Friday afternoon with a special pizza celebration for the Grade 9 class from Dr EG Jansen Hoërskool. In honour of the nine-year milestone, the mall sponsored and donated nine pizzas to the learners.

The celebrations continued on Saturday, with shoppers enjoying live music performances at the Food Court by the marimba groups from Goede Hoop Primary and St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls.
St Dominic’s also joined in the festivities with a display at the Food Court, celebrating their own 2025 BoE win and highlighting the strong partnership between the school and the mall.

Lucky shopper surprises
Excitement filled the mall as shoppers at Checkers and Dis-Chem stood a chance to win spot prizes.
Nine shoppers were randomly selected by a team comprising mall representatives and learners from the participating schools. Each winner was surprised with the opportunity to have the mall pay R1000 for their purchases.
In addition, 100 branded doughnuts were distributed throughout the mall, and 100 complimentary parking tickets were issued to customers making purchases at Dis-Chem.

Voices from shoppers
Davina from Reiger Park shared her excitement:

“I love coming to East Rand Mall because you get all the stores you need in one destination and you don’t have to travel far. It’s awesome, and I feel proud to be part of this celebration.”

Debbie Meyer, Pre-School Principal at St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls in Boksburg, said:

“The East Rand Mall is my favourite shopping destination because of the variety of shops and the wonderful atmosphere. It has been the Best of Ekurhuleni for nine years in a row – what better place to do your shopping? As part of St Dominic’s, we are very proud to celebrate alongside the mall because we are also Best of Ekurhuleni winners. It’s a fabulous partnership.”

Grateful winners

Sindisiwe Dube of Daveyton was one of the lucky shoppers.

“I just came here to do my grocery shopping. I’m so happy I decided to come to East Rand Mall today – it’s almost as if I knew something special would happen! I’m very grateful and excited. It has become my favourite shopping destination because it has all the stores I need in one place.”

Another winner, Jana van Rensburg, admitted her first reaction was disbelief.
“My first thought was, ‘What’s the catch?’ I’m a regular shopper at Checkers, and I live nearby, so I’m always here. It was overwhelming at first, but such a privilege. Thank you so much.”

A true celebration of excellence
The milestone celebration served as a heartfelt token of appreciation to the community whose continued support has contributed to the mall’s sustained success over the past nine years.

East Rand Mall extended its sincere thanks to shoppers and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening partnerships with local schools and the broader community.
Nine years. Nine wins. One exceptional shopping destination.

Also Read: East Rand Mall celebrates nine years as Ekurhuleni’s best, treats learners to pizza