New Palapye malls trigger misgivings

Anywhere else, the construction of a new mall would be met with ululation by the local community, and indeed some residents here are excited at the employment prospects. However, having experienced a boom in construction in recent years, residents of Palapye know better than most the dark side of rapid development.

Palapye is rapidly being propelled from a village to a town and the four malls, to be located along the A1 highway, are expected to give the area an urban facelift and dust off its village origins. Resident businesses of various sizes are wary about the new malls, which they fear will swallow their enterprises.