November 11 2026 16:40
KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA
Liberty Midlands Mall in Pietermaritzburg has won three national marketing awards from the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC), and shoppers in the region have voted it Best Mall for the second year in a row.
The mall received three Silver Awards at the 2026 SACSC Footprint Marketing Awards. These were for its Boundless, ARTopia and Gaming Festival campaigns.
It was also named Best Mall in the 2026 Best of Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Readers’ Choice Awards.
The Footprint Marketing Awards are held every year to recognise excellence in South African shopping centre marketing. Campaigns are judged on their strategy, creativity, execution and impact.
Midlands Mall’s three winning campaigns ran during 2025 and 2026, and each was designed to engage shoppers in a different way.
The Boundless brand campaign showed how the mall forms part of shoppers’ everyday lives. It used lifestyle content and experiences to explore themes such as wellness, style, food, discovery, living and shared moments, telling the stories of the people who make up the Midlands Mall community.
ARTopia: Sustainable Strokes continued the mall’s support for young artists. It gave learners from local schools a platform to show their creativity and encouraged conversations about sustainability, while bringing together schools, teachers, families and shoppers.
The Gaming Festival: Next Dimension combined gaming, technology and entertainment in an interactive event where gamers, families and visitors could connect, compete and experience the mall in a different way.
While the Footprint Awards brought the mall national recognition from the industry, the Best Mall title has a particular local significance, because the winner is decided by votes from the community.
General manager Lawrence Joubert said receiving recognition from both industry peers and local shoppers made the year particularly special.
“We are incredibly proud of all four awards. The three Footprint Silver Awards recognise the creativity and hard work that goes into creating experiences our shoppers can genuinely enjoy, while being voted Best Mall for a second consecutive year means a great deal because that recognition comes directly from our community,” said Joubert.
The awards add to the mall’s growing list of achievements. They also reflect its commitment to being a shopping, dining and entertainment destination that keeps evolving with the needs and interests of the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands community.
“Liberty Midlands Mall has been part of Pietermaritzburg for many years, and the continued support of our shoppers is something we never take for granted. These awards are shared with our mall team, stores, service providers and campaign partners, as well as every shopper who visits, participates and continues to choose Midlands Mall,” he said.
alistair@propertyflash.co.za
