South African Orange Shopping

The South African Orange Shopping Experience Awaits You at the African Cup of Nations in January 2013

Africa’s starting the new year with a bang! South Africa is playing host to the rest of the world as the Confederation of African Football [CAF] African Cup of Nations 2013.

For lovers of the game, it’ll be a fun time away. Lots of energy and excitement.  Apart from the time spent watching the games, visitors are promised a delightful time seeing the beautiful sights of South Africa. It’s also going to be a great opportunity to shop till you drop.

South African malls stock a wide range of eye popping products; furniture, kitchenware, gadgets, jewelry and clothes! From big, bright air-conditioned shopping malls to street vendors selling home-grown vegetables, you can buy anything and everything in any of the cities and towns, which each have landmark shopping hubs where you have all the major retail chains; Edgars, Clicks, Mr Price, Foschini, Stuttafords, Truworths and Woolworths

In each of the 5  host cities of the games, you’re guaranteed to find  globally recognised retailers, including high end international stores like Zara, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and The Body Shop. 

Many of the smaller businesses are big on choice and personalizing your products thus making your shopping experience even more fun. All five AFCON host cities offer at least one mall experience, and a chance to shop till you drop, finding excellent bargains along the way.

In Johannesburg, Sandton City is one of Africa’s leading and most prestigious shopping centres. With almost 300 leading local and international retailers. This is an energetic hub of Afro-cosmopolitan glamour – international shopping with South African flair. If fashion is your passion, head north of Sandton to Fourways Mall shopping centre, where you’ll find 50 retailers focusing exclusively on fashion. Here is where you’ll find your style. Soccer city, visitor’s delight.

Sandton City shopping mall, Johannesburg

Budget shopping might be a more pressing agenda, and again there are dozens of shopping centres to choose from in each host city, most notably the Oriental Plaza and China Mall close to the Johannesburg city centre, and the Victoria Street market in Durban.

In Durban are two distinctive malls, Gateway, which is the largest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere, and The Pavillion, each home to hundreds of retail outlets selling everything from fashion, home ware  to jewelry, leather goods and audiovisual equipment.

Gateway Theatre of Shopping, Umhlanga, near Durban

In Port Elizabeth, the economic hub of the Eastern Cape, is the one kilometer Greenacres Mall, which is currently undergoing a US$48 million facelift to get it looking its best 9and being its most efficient) in time for the AFCON crowds. In Nelspruit, meanwhile, is the Riverside Mall, Mpumalanga’s premier shopping centre, as well as the newer I’langa Mall, with direct access off the N4 highway.

In Rustenburg is the Waterfall Mall, with 133 shops selling just as diverse an array of products as its bigger counterparts.

Nelspruit is the home to  Kruger National Park, the largest game reserve in South Africa and one of the most celebrated game parks in the world, which is also home to some of the finest wildlife; the Sudwala caves, the oldest known caves in the world; it is also a guaranteed shopper’s delight.

It’s important to note that January is the nationwide end of the shopping season so there’s an abundance of discounts and bargains. Also the South African Tourism board has formed a partnership with VISA and hundreds of malls the  country to bring fantastic special offers to all visiting AFCON fans. ,

So wherever you travel to support your team, South Africa invites you to indulge in some retail therapy, and take home some excellent value-for-money purchases to add convenience and sparkle to life after the tournament.

Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org