Mall of Africa was incepted to be the centrepiece of Waterfall City, an upcoming mixed-use development located in Midrand, Gauteng.

The mall was opened to the public on 28 April 2016 and resulted in heavy traffic congestion along the N1 and N3 highways as well as most roads leading towards the Midrand area.

[5] Mall of Africa has anchor tenants including departmental store Woolworths and hypermarkets Game and Checkers Hyper.

As well as introducing new brands to South Africa like Starbucks, Mango Man, The Kooples, Boutique Adela, Zara Home, Armani Exchange, Under Armour and Interoptika.

The Crystal Court is located in the Northern Section of the mall, representing Southern Africa's mineral wealth with sharp geometric patterns.