The 54-year-old Cape Town shopping mall falling apart in front of everyone’s eyes

Parow Centre in Cape Town has gone from a family-favourite mall to a neglected shopping centre.

Originally known as the Santam Centre, the Parow Centre in Cape Town is now a shell of its former self.

The centre is located in Parow East in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs, and was developed in 1972 by Sanlam Properties.

The centre opened its doors in October 1972, with its opening attended by Parow’s mayor at the time.

Sanlam Centre featured 55 shops and became a magnet for locals, who used it as their one-stop shop for anything from groceries to fashion.

According to the centre’s website, 40,000 visitors passed through its doors in the first few weeks after opening.

Three years later, the centre held a sales event that drew queues of shoppers lining up for deeply discounted prices. This sale attracted 600 people on the first day.

However, following this initial boom, the centre adopted a more community-focused service centre model, catering to nearby businesses and residents.

To revive the centre, it underwent a three-year “makeover” starting in 2006, expanding its footprint to 68,000 m². This is also when the property was rebranded to ‘Parow Centre’.

During this makeover, a multi-story parking deck was added, which expanded capacity to 2,500 bays.

In the years that followed, further attempts were made to make Parow Centre more attractive, including the addition of a modern food court and integration with nearby public transport.

Another major revamp was undertaken in the 2020s, led by project manager and principal agent IGUAL.

This redevelopment took place over five years and was completed in 2022. It added four levels of new parking, introduced a Pick n Pay, and expanded Parow’s footprint to 86,000 m².

However, it appears this revamp has not had the desired effect, as Parow Centre, like many commuter-focused malls in South Africa, has struggled to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Headwinds such as rising interest rates and load-shedding have put pressure on shopping malls across the country following the pandemic.

In August 2023, Bizcommunity reported that Parow Centre was facing severe financial difficulties and was defaulting on payments.

The impact of these financial struggles is evident in the centre today, which appears run-down and neglected.

A Daily Investor representative visited the centre in September 2026 and found that parts of the centre were run-down and lacked upkeep.

This includes the centre’s iconic sign with its name, which is faded and cracking.

While some tenants were still operating, the mall also had several vacancies.

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Photos of Parow Centre

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