Lavish Pearls in its final stage

THE luxurious Pearls of uMhlanga development makes heads turn on the North Coast and the three men who are behind it are delighted as the construction nears completion.

“Classy, iconic and flawless” is how the developers, film producers Anant Singh ( Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom), Sudhir Pragjee and Nico van Rooyen, describe the development.

But the construction of the 32-storey building has not come cheap. The R3-billion development, which began 13 years ago, is in its fifth and final stage with a posh restaurant, Café la Plage, which opened on Friday night.

The three men could not suppress their excitement during the glamorous event, with Singh going as far as to say that The Pearls was better than anything in Sandton City, in Johannesburg, or The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, in Cape Town.

And while the festive season would be in full swing in the coming weeks, Singh said, “every person in Durban and in the country can experience our exceptional product.”

Said Pragjee: “We felt this was the best site in the country because it is next to the beach. That was the main thing that brought us here.”

While some restaurants and retail sections are operational, people are expected to start moving into their beach-facing apartments next year.

Of the 1 600 parking bays, 800 are for the shopping centre, with the other half reserved for the apartments.

During a walkabout on Friday a few stores were already operating, with some putting in the final touches. Singh said it was surreal to see the current structure compared to the one they bought 13 years ago.

The owner of the Café la Plage, Davin Manal, said he was happy to have secured a place at The Pearls, and that it was his best investment.

One of his employees, Saint Mpanza, 21, of Verulam, who finished matric in 2014, but had been unemployed since leaving school, said: “I am over the moon. I think things are starting to happen for me.”

The development has created more than 18 000 jobs.

The shopping centre has four layers and some of the biggest retail brands.