News24 | SEE | South Africa’s best and worst malls, according to 3.2 million reviews

The SEO Backlinks team ranked shopping malls according to more than 3 million Google reviews.

The Age/Getty Images

• The country’s top-rated mall is in Polokwane, according to a ranking based on millions of Google reviews.
• Gauteng is home to six of South Africa’s top 10 malls in the ranking, but it also dominates the list of the worst-rated malls. The Western Cape, by contrast, has just one mall in the top 10.
• The Free State, North West and Northern Cape had no malls in either list, while the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga appear only in the bottom 10.
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The Greenery in Polokwane is South Africa’s best-rated shopping centre, averaging 4.68 stars from 1 153 Google reviews, while Tshwane Shopping Mall in Derdepoort, Pretoria, is the lowest-rated at 2.83 from 2 133 reviews.

This is according to research by a web SEO team at SEO Backlinks, which pulled the Google Maps listing of every shopping mall and shopping centre in South Africa on 5 October 2026.

Melrose Arch in Johannesburg came in second at 4.66, and Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton came in third at 4.63.

Reviewers praised The Greenery for its mix of grocery, takeaway and coffee spots, while Melrose Arch was favoured for “great architecture” and “interesting shops and restaurants”.

Reviewers praised The Greenery in Polokwane for its mix of grocery, takeaway and coffee spots.

Facebook/The Greenery

Reviewers praised The Greenery in Polokwane for its mix of grocery, takeaway and coffee spots.

Facebook/The Greenery

Reviewers praised The Greenery in Polokwane for its mix of grocery, takeaway and coffee spots.

Facebook/The Greenery

Reviewers praised The Greenery in Polokwane for its mix of grocery, takeaway and coffee spots.

Facebook/The Greenery

Other features that got the thumbs-up included cleanliness, variety, and easy navigation for shoppers.

At the bottom of the list, reviewers were saddened by malls that “look like a ghost town” or appeared to have suffered a “sad decline”.

Bad toilets also featured in the complaints.

Melrose Arch in Johannesburg got the thumbs-up for its ‘interesting architecture’.

Facebook/Melrose Arch

Melrose Arch in Johannesburg got the thumbs-up for its ‘interesting architecture’.

Facebook/Melrose Arch

Melrose Arch in Johannesburg got the thumbs-up for its ‘interesting architecture’.

Facebook/Melrose Arch

Gauteng is home to six of the 10 best-rated shopping centres, with The Neighbourhood Square in Linksfield, Loftus Park and Castle Gate in Pretoria, and Polofields Crossing in Waterfall also in the top 10.

Marine Walk in the Sibaya Coastal Precinct and La Lucia Mall in uMhlanga are the KwaZulu-Natal centres in the top 10, and Constantia Emporium is the only one from the Western Cape.

Constantia Emporium was the only Western Cape Mall in the top 10. Pictured: Constantia Emporium Venture Workspace in Constantia, Cape Town.

Husskeyy/WIkimedia Commons

Gauteng also has eight of the 10 lowest-rated centres. China Gate in Kempton Park is second-lowest at 3.45, and Jakaranda Centre in Pretoria is third-lowest at 3.47, with Morula Shopping Complex in Mabopane, Lesedi City Shopping Centre and Naledi Mall in Vosloorus, Home Africa Mall in Fordsburg and Batho Plaza in Soshanguve also in the bottom 10.

Kriel Mall in Mpumalanga and Cleary Park Shopping Centre in Gqeberha are the other two.

Across all 678 centres reviewed, the average was 4.18 stars.

How the ranking was done

According to a statement from SEO Backlinks, the research omitted closed centres, markets, single shops, office parks and duplicate listings for the same centre, and kept the 678 centres with at least 1 000 Google reviews, which amounted to a total of 3 274 335 reviews.

Where a mall sits inside a bigger precinct with its own listing, such as Victoria Wharf at the V&A Waterfront, the mall’s own listing was used.

Each centre was ranked on its exact average, calculated from its numbers of one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-star reviews, rather than the rounded score Google shows. Where two centres had the same average, the one with the bigger share of one-star reviews ranked lower.

Every centre in the top- and bottom-10 was checked for a sudden burst of reviews in a short period, and one centre whose listing carried a run of reviews about a single restaurant inside it, rather than the centre, was omitted.

SEO Backlinks founder Oliver Weston said a mall’s star rating usually isn’t only about its tenant shops. Rather, the top of the list shows that reviewers tend to favour easy parking, a good mix of shops and restaurants, and spaces that “feel clean and looked after”.

“At the bottom, the same complaints keep coming up – empty shop fronts, dirty toilets, and centres reviewers feel have gone downhill. With the festive season coming, it’s worth reading the latest reviews of the centres near you before you plan a big shopping day,” Weston said.

Here are the final rankings, listed from 1 - 10 in each category: