Now 'Pass Go' Mzansi-style

27 October 2016 - 09:17 By SHELLEY SEID

Hotels on Cape Town's Boulder's Beach are in the pipeline as are housing estates in Addo Elephant Park - for Monopoly players. Among the new locations on the "Mzansi" edition of the 81-year-old board game are the Sandton Gautrain station, The Cradle of Humankind and St Francis Bay.The all-local version of the game, that first came out in 1903 in the USA, will be available in stores from November 1.The first Monopoly South Africa was produced in 1963, with the second version released in 2002. Properties on the original board incorporated streets in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The second version was made up of landmarks, areas and suburbs. A Cape Town version was released last year, which introduced Robben Island.Monopoly Mzansi showcases 22 locations, mainly local attractions and city highlights as voted most popular by South Africans until the end of March this year.The waterworks, electricity, community chest and jail remain, while "capital gains tax" has been added for a dose of reality. Currency remains Monopoly dollars.The most expensive properties on the board are the V&A Waterfront for M350 and Table Mountain, which will set you back M400.New locations include Nelson Mandela Square, Maboneng, 4th Avenue Parkhurst in Johannesburg and Durban's Florida Road, one of the cheapest properties, along with the Durban beachfront and uShaka Marine World, which sells for between M100 and M120."The last South African version was outdated and needed a refresh," said Siphiwe Thabethe, local marketing manager of Hasbro, the global toy company that holds the Monopoly copyright. "We wanted to ensure consumers across South Africa decided on the places they wanted on the board, therefore Hasbro got South Africans to vote online. The places with the highest number of votes were selected."Other spots include Vilakazi street in Soweto, Kimberley's The Big Hole, Gold Reef City and the Union Buildings.One of the places voted on to the board was Umhlanga's iconic Oyster Box Hotel.GM Wayne Coetzer said they are thrilled about the inclusion. "I was contacted by Hasbro a couple of months ago and told that we had come up as one of the most popular properties in their online poll. Monopoly Mzansi will feature in our children's club and we will probably be giving sets away as Christmas presents."However, Coetzer warned that the price of the property does not include the GM or Scabenga, the hotel cat.Ruben Reddy, president of the South African Institute of Architects KZN SA, said the new board reflects changes within our society. "It's a reflection of the youth, for example, with the inclusion of Maboneng, the new elite with the inclusion of the Oyster Box. It reflects the trends of the past couple of decades."..

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