‘Mall’ will bring upliftment

Ellen Fedele’s letter, “Really, Do We Need Another Mall?”, in People’s Post dated 21 August refers.

Ms Fedele suggests that the Solomon family restore their legacy by building a library and safe space for children to play and implies that the family has been “seduced by the almighty dollar”.

Most of the beneficiaries (in total 84) are not affluent and see the financial gain from the development as an opportunity to improve their lives and that of their children and grandchildren.

For some of the beneficiaries, a safe space for children to play would mean using their financial gain to relocate from a two-roomed council house in Mitchell’s Plain to a two-roomed house in Grassy Park.

Ms Fedele, sorry for considering the economic upliftment of my family a higher priority than your need for a library and safe space for the Constantia children to play. Not everyone is as privileged you, even in Constantia, there are elderly people who are concerned about the rising price of groceries and who understand that competition among retailers always benefits consumers. So yes, many people would be happy with the community shopping centre being developed on Ladies Mile Road.