First security estate in South Africa’s largest township – with homes selling for over R1 million

·24 Aug 2026

Emperors Security Estate is the first full-title security estate in Soweto, the largest township in South Africa, with houses selling for R1.03 million.

Emperors Security Estate in Protea Glen was developed by Cosmopolitan Projects as part of a broader shift in the country’s property market.

This shift is seeing formal housing developments increasingly emerging in townships and areas that were previously dominated by informal or lower-cost housing.

In Soweto, demand for formal housing has grown alongside improvements in infrastructure, services and household incomes.

Cosmopolitan Projects described Emperors Security Estate as a secure residential development offering amenities and a quieter neighbourhood environment. The developer added that the estate is designed around security and family living.

A two-bedroom, 40-square-metre house in the estate is priced at R1.03 million. The home includes one bathroom and two parking spaces.

Larger homes ranging from 45 square metres to 124 square metres are also available, with prices starting at R1.06 million and rising to R1.67 million.

According to Cosmopolitan Projects, buyers looking at the most affordable property need a qualifying monthly income of R30,000. The estimated monthly repayment is about R9,000.

The development reflects a wider change taking place in South Africa’s townships, where formal housing, middle-class properties and lifestyle developments are increasingly being built alongside established townships.

Cosmopolitan Projects, established in 1992, has become one of South Africa’s largest residential developers.

It operates mainly in Johannesburg and Tshwane and has developed about 45,000 housing units since its establishment, most of which are affordable housing.

Its projects include Diamond City in Mamelodi, Colorado in Centurion, Leopard’s Rest Lifestyle Estate in Alberton and Star Village in Protea Glen.

The company has increasingly focused on township developments, seeking to build larger residential communities that combine housing with supporting infrastructure and amenities.

The move into Soweto comes as the township itself continues to occupy an important position in South Africa’s property market.

Wealthiest township in South Africa

Lightstone data shows that Soweto is the wealthiest of the country’s three major townships analysed by the company, based on household income and property values.

The comparison included Soweto, Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal and Khayelitsha in the Western Cape.

Lightstone Managing Executive Real Estate and Prop Data director Hayley Ivins-Downes said these townships provide an important view of the country’s housing market.

“Townships like Soweto, Umlazi and Khayelitsha reflect South Africa’s urban reality in ways that city skylines cannot,” she said.

“While each carries the weight of inequality and historic disadvantage, they are also centres of growth, resilience and entrepreneurship.”

Soweto has an estimated population of about 1.5 million people and is the oldest of the three townships.

More than 20% of households earn above R13,000 per month, putting it ahead of the other two townships at the higher end of the income spectrum.

“Apart from being the oldest township with the largest population, Soweto is also the wealthiest of the three townships when it comes to household income. Khayelitsha is the youngest and the poorest,” said Ivins-Downes.

Property values also reflect the difference. The average Soweto property is valued at about R585,000, but the township has approximately 1,600 properties worth more than R1 million.

This provides important context for developments such as Emperors Security Estate, where new-build properties are being sold above the R1 million mark.

Soweto also has a stronger ratio of households to registered properties than Umlazi and Khayelitsha, at 2.25:1 compared with 3.2:1 and 3.3:1, respectively.

While Soweto has experienced a decline in property transfers over the past decade, it continues to record the highest number of transfers among the three townships.