{"id":833704,"date":"2025-08-23T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=833704"},"modified":"2025-08-22T16:03:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T14:03:10","slug":"rich-south-africans-are-buying-homes-in-one-of-the-safest-countries-in-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/833704\/rich-south-africans-are-buying-homes-in-one-of-the-safest-countries-in-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Rich South Africans are buying homes in one of the safest countries in Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More wealthy South Africans are buying homes in Namibia, ranked as one of the safest countries in Africa, for tax benefits and permanent residency.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ranked as the fourth safest country in Africa by Altezza Travel, Namibia is seeing a net positive migration of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) who are looking for security and investment benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Altezza Travel, a Tanzania-based destination management company, compiled the safety rankings using a range of global studies and statistical data, combined with public perceptions of personal safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results were announced in January by Namibia\u2019s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNamibia has long been one of the most politically stable countries, with generally good infrastructure, and the tourism industry is well-developed,\u201d said ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis ranking points out our peaceful nature as Namibians, but also highlights that our collective effort to ensure peace and stability prevails is being recognised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Altezza Travel\u2019s report, only Mauritius, Ghana, and Zambia ranked higher in terms of safety.\u00a0 Muyunda praised the Namibian people and the country\u2019s security services for maintaining law and order.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSafety is an important factor in the travel and tourism sectors. This ranking gives Namibia more recognition around the globe and will steer more recommendations by travellers to visit the country,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe Namibia, a young democracy with a population of just over three million, has a competitive advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sense of security, combined with Namibia\u2019s investor-friendly policies, has helped fuel rising interest from wealthy South Africans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lance Lawson, a Business Development Consultant at Sovereign Group, said Namibia is gaining attention for its economic progress and welcoming foreign investment approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir political and economic stability, coupled with their relative affordability and proximity, makes the country highly attractive to South African HNWIs looking to invest in sub-Saharan Africa,\u201d Lawson said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that Namibia\u2019s legal and tax structures make it especially appealing for those seeking long-term wealth protection and residency options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What South Africans are paying <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Namibia imposes no estate duty and has no capital gains tax on private sales, while its trust laws provide various tax advantages for holding assets, particularly for non-agricultural properties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Namibian Income Tax Act is also favourable to trusts, and foreign investors can benefit from the Namibian Foreign Investment Act, which guarantees equal treatment with local investors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those with a Certificate of Status Investment are eligible to repatriate their capital and can access a simplified employment permit process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further incentives exist for manufacturers operating in export processing zones, which benefit from exemptions on corporate income tax, import duties, and VAT on imported machinery and raw materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real estate is also a popular route into the country, particularly among retirees and families seeking greater geographic flexibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maria Esterhuysen, licensee for Seeff Namibia, said that coastal towns like Swakopmund are in high demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNamibia is a popular holiday destination, and more people are considering retiring here,\u201d she said. \u201cProperty prices are similar to South Africa, and the currencies offer similar value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residential property prices typically range from N$800,000 (R800,000) to N$2.5 million (R2.5 million), with luxury homes selling for up to N$8 million (R8 million) or more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esterhuysen added that proceeds from property sales can be freely repatriated, making the country even more attractive to foreign investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Namibia also offers specific pathways to residency for wealthy individuals. A Retired Persons permit is available for those over 60 with a permanent income from abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, permanent residency is an option for individuals with a net worth of at least N$4 million (R4 million), of which at least N$2 million (R2 million) must be invested in Namibian property, with the balance held in a local bank account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Africa Wealth Report, African wealth is projected to surge by 65% over the next decade, and Namibia is expected to be one of the continent\u2019s top contributors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report forecasts that Namibia\u2019s millionaire population will grow by 85% by 2033, second only to Mauritius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Namibia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More wealthy South Africans are buying up property across the border, in one of the safest countries in Africa, for tax benefits and permanent residency.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":833724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[20107,10773,853,23273],"class_list":["post-833704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-namibia","tag-seeff","tag-south-africa","tag-sovereign-group"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833704","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=833704"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":834362,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833704\/revisions\/834362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/833724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=833704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=833704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=833704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}