Inside the secretive castle in Johannesburg

·8 Jan 2025

The Kyalami Castle was a former tourist attraction and hotel. However, following the acquisition by the Church of Scientology, it is now a more secretive campus.

Greek millionaire and architect Demos Dinopoulos built the Castle Kyalami, better known as the Kyalami Castle, in 1992.

The castle is set on a 9-hectare estate, and the building itself has 5,900 square meters under its roof.

The Kyalami Castle has a spa, 24 suites, a luxury hotel, a restaurant, a conference centre and its own helipad.

The Arthurian style features twelve turrets, Gothic arched windows, and more than a dozen outdoor terraces.

It has a Carrara marble-filled entrance, a classic Greek fountain, wrought-iron chandeliers, coffered ceilings, and wood mouldings.

The building was originally configured with three self-contained apartments, which included one for Dinopoulos’ son with a spiral staircase to the kitchen.

When Dinopoulos stayed in the castle in the nineties, it featured a 22-horse stable, garage and a yacht-building workshop.

He built a yacht in the yacht-building workshop and sailed to the south of Spain, where he remains to this day.

Although Dinopoulos dreamed of the Kyalami Castle housing his family of five and their future families, it did not work out that way.

In 2001, nine years after he completed it, Dinopoulos sold the castle, which was then converted into a luxury hotel.

The stables, garage and workshop areas became The Bailey convention centre and the sunken lounge was levelled and turned into the hotel’s restaurant.

During its commercial years, the Kyalami Castle hosted numerous high-profile conferences and events,

It included the Ika East Meets Africa fashion show in 2003 and the Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (ISPA) iWeek conference in 2006.

In 2008, the Church of Scientology purchased the Kyalami Castle from Planet Hotels, which ended its time as a tourist attraction.

Behind the high walls of the Kyalami Castle

Following the Church of Scientology’s acquisition, the Kyalami Castle can no longer be freely visited and explored.

It is heavily guarded, and visitors are informed that they should make an appointment to enter the campus.

This can be understood as it serves as a spiritual retreat for Scientologists. It is also one of the church’s six Advanced Organizations.

Scientology Advanced Organizations “minister very advanced levels of auditing and training and open wide the gateway to the highest spiritual levels”.

Today, the Kyalami Castle includes an expansive state-of-the-art auditorium and a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating for more than 200.

The building also boasts a café, a swimming pool, and a braai-equipped gazebo. In one turret there’s an observation tower where visitors can take in hilltop views that extend for miles.

There are also several meeting and conference rooms and multiple outdoor gathering spaces where they hold events.

The Church of Scientology says the castle stands as a home for the community and a hub of action.

It added that it is home to “all who share the goal of bettering the lives of individuals and strengthening communities across this region, this nation, and all of Africa”.

“From here, we share our many humanitarian and community outreach programmes with like-minded individuals, groups, associations and organisations,” it said.

“We open our doors and make our facilities available to those committed to creating a better Africa and a better world.”

“We are dedicated to working with groups of all denominations across the Gauteng Province, the Republic of South Africa and throughout the continent.”