{"id":832734,"date":"2025-08-02T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=832734"},"modified":"2025-08-01T17:50:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T15:50:04","slug":"south-africans-buying-up-property-in-one-of-the-most-peaceful-countries-in-the-middle-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/832734\/south-africans-buying-up-property-in-one-of-the-most-peaceful-countries-in-the-middle-east\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africans buying up property in one of the most peaceful countries in the Middle East"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

High-net-worth South Africans are increasingly buying real estate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which was ranked one of the most peaceful countries in the Middle East in 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Property experts have noted that these wealthy South Africans are drawn by its stability and lifestyle appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With South Africa grappling with economic instability, high crime levels, and concerns about the future, the city of Dubai has become a notable option for investment, retirement, or relocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSouth Africans are turning to offshore property not only to diversify their assets but also as a hedge against currency volatility,\u201d said Nombasa Mawela, licensee for Seeff Dubai. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDubai offers an appealing combination of factors, which include strong capital appreciation, solid rental yields, and attractive payment plans,\u201d she said <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is especially important in a global climate where people are looking for financial stability and return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Global Peace Index<\/a> released by the Institute for Economics and Peace, in 2025, the UAE was ranked one of the most peaceful countries in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The index, which tracks peace trends across 163 nations using indicators such as crime, political instability, and militarisation, placed the UAE 52nd globally with a score of 1.812.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This put the country ahead of several developed nations, including France and the United States. In contrast, South Africa ranked 124th, falling behind countries such as Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is unsurprising given that five South African cities continue to appear among the world\u2019s most dangerous cities<\/a>, based on murder rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cities such as Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Johannesburg, and, more recently, Buffalo City have consistently featured among the top 50 most violent cities worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven these circumstances, we\u2019re seeing a clear pattern of high-net-worth individuals seeking safer, more predictable environments,\u201d Mawela explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDubai\u2019s property market is booming, with transaction volumes up by 22.5%, value up 40.1%, and property prices rising by 15.6%. Add to this an average rental yield of around 6.3%, and you can see why investors are interested.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What South Africans are paying<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Investors typically target properties priced between AED 1 and 3 million (roughly R4 million to R12 million), with apartments and townhouses being the most popular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rental yields in Dubai can reach between 5% and 8%, outpacing many other popular offshore destinations such as Mauritius, where returns tend to hover between 3% and 7%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those aiming for long-term residency, Dubai also offers a Golden Visa with a 10-year renewable residency in exchange for a minimum property investment of AED 2 million (around R9.8 million).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The added bonus, Mawela said, is that South Africans do not need to physically relocate to benefit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to move to Dubai or even get residency. Many invest simply to grow wealth in a tax-friendly and stable dollar-based environment,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no personal income tax, capital gains tax, or property taxes. That\u2019s very attractive to South African investors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africans are also making use of the annual offshore allowance, which includes R1 million discretionary allowance and R10 million foreign capital allowance. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mawela explained that many buyers are taking full advantage of this, and most developments offer staged payment plans, with the added convenience of rental management services bundled into the deals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dubai\u2019s strong and growing expat population, around 85% of the city\u2019s residents are foreign nationals, also contributes to the city\u2019s rental market and international lifestyle appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Golding, chief executive of Pam Golding Property Group, echoed these sentiments, noting that global instability over the past few years has pushed investors toward more stable, growth-oriented markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDubai has emerged as a global hub for real estate investment. Its combination of high returns, political and economic stability, modern infrastructure, and lifestyle benefits is unparalleled,\u201d said Golding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that Dubai is now considered one of the top five luxury residential markets in the world. He noted that there\u2019s confidence in the city\u2019s business sector and economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis, combined with strong demand for luxury homes and tax advantages, makes it one of the most attractive global destinations for residential property investment,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dubai, the UAE <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Rich South Africans are increasingly buying real estate in one of the fastest growing countries in the Middle East.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":832818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[18707,17430,11693,853],"class_list":["post-832734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-dubai","tag-pam-golding-property-group","tag-seeff-property-group","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832734"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":832822,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832734\/revisions\/832822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/832818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}