Upgraded R102 set to reopen in Empangeni

R102 to reopen on Thursday alongside Prince Buthelezi Mall in Empangeni

April 27, 2026

Gugu Myeni 1 minute read

The upgraded R102 leading to the Prince Buthelezi Mall

The much-anticipated opening of the Prince Buthelezi Mall in Empangeni on Thursday, 30 April, will coincide with the official reopening of the R102, the main road leading to the mall.

ALSO READ: All systems ready for Boxer store at Prince Buthelezi Mall

The road has been closed to motorists since July last year amid extensive upgrades to the bridge, roads and other infrastructure on the route.

This impacted severely on traffic flow between Empangeni and the N2, with the R102 road to Canefields barred.

Speaking during a tour of the establishment earlier this year, the development manager at Moolman Group, Pieter Claassen cited construction work of the slip lanes on the R102/John Ross highway intersection and the addition of streetlights as well as traffic lights at the mall’s main entrance.

“There were a lot of approvals that needed to be sought for the two bridges there; one crossing the Transnet railway and the other crossing the Sasol pipelines,” said Claassen.

Last week, developers received a thumbs up from King Cetshwayo taxi operators for prioritising the public transport industry and commuters in the development.

This as the several local taxi associations were given a first glimpse of the rank facilities at the mall.

The rank will cater for commuters travelling from across the City of uMhlathuze, including KwaMbonambi, eSikhaleni, Richards Bay, eMacekana, Bhukhanana and eNdabayakhe.

The Prince Buthelezi Mall is being developed by Moolman Group with co-owners Twin City and Melta Capital, and has secured a mix of retailers as tenants, including Checkers FreshX, Shoprite, Woolworths, Boxer, Roots Butchery, Dis-Chem and Clicks, which will anchor the shopping mall.

This is as well as retailers that are set to enter Empangeni for the first time, including Crazy Plastics, Panarottis, Mugg n Bean, Burger King, Milky Lane, Billabong and Polo.

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