{"id":839517,"date":"2025-10-10T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=839517"},"modified":"2025-10-10T14:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T12:00:11","slug":"two-suburbs-where-ambassadors-ceos-politicians-and-celebrities-are-buying-homes-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/839517\/two-suburbs-where-ambassadors-ceos-politicians-and-celebrities-are-buying-homes-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Two suburbs where ambassadors, CEOs, politicians, and celebrities are buying homes in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hundreds of homes in Waterkloof, Pretoria, and Bishopscourt, Cape Town, are owned by foreign embassies or leased to prominent ambassadors and senior diplomats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also home to some of South Africa’s top business executives, politicians and celebrities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Seeff Property Group experts Gerhard van der Linde and Francois Venter, these two neighbourhoods represent the pinnacle of prestige, security, and luxury living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They added that these suburbs are now comparable to elite diplomatic enclaves such as Belgravia in London or Kalorama in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are South Africa\u2019s top ambassadorial suburbs, home to high-profile individuals including ambassadors, senior diplomats, business executives, celebrities, and politicians,\u201d said Van der Linde, Managing Director for Seeff Pretoria East. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey offer the kind of prestige, privacy, and proximity to key institutions that make them ideal for both private and official residences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waterkloof and its neighbouring Waterkloof Ridge form Pretoria\u2019s premier ambassadorial belt, with more than 100 homes owned or leased by foreign embassies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are among the most exclusive suburbs in the country. They are well-established, with Jacaranda-lined streets, spacious properties, and hilltop homes offering panoramic views of the city,\u201d Van der Linde explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average property prices typically range between R3 million and R15 million, but ultra-luxury properties easily exceed that, well above R20 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Van der Linde highlighted a super-luxury 860 square metre home in the secure Argo Place in Waterkloof Ridge, which is currently on the market for R14.75 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It features a private cinema, underground wine cellar, gourmet kitchen equipped with Gaggenau, Bosch, and Miele appliances, private gym, solar power, borehole, extensive garaging, and staff accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 80% of Waterkloof\u2019s properties are full title, and the suburb\u2019s high-value real estate continues to appreciate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen consistent growth of between 6% and 8% annually over the past decade,\u201d said Van der Linde. \u201cThe market remains stable, and sales volumes are still slightly ahead of pre-pandemic levels.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most buyers fall within the 35\u201355 age group, with more than half of residents having lived there for over 11 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waterkloof\u2019s enduring appeal also comes down to its location and amenities. It offers easy access to some of Pretoria\u2019s top schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These include Pretoria Boys High, Pretoria Girls High, and the University of Pretoria\u2014as well as the prestigious Pretoria Country Club, Menlyn Park shopping centre, and several top restaurants and golf courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Property selling for over R100 million <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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On the other side of the country, Cape Town\u2019s Bishopscourt suburb mirrors this level of prestige and international appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bishopscourt is renowned for its lush greenery, spacious plots, and grand homes, many of which offer sweeping mountain views. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBishopscourt is one of South Africa\u2019s most prestigious neighbourhoods,\u201d added Francois Venter, Seeff\u2019s lead agent for The Uppers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s home to the US ambassador\u2019s residence, Kearsney House, and attracts foreign embassies, consulates, international celebrities, and leading business and political figures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suburb\u2019s homes are expansive and highly secure, often set on large estates surrounded by gardens and old trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResidents value the privacy and natural beauty, as well as the proximity to top schools like Bishops and St Mary\u2019s, and the University of Cape Town,\u201d Venter added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also close to Kirstenbosch Gardens and the Constantia wine farms, which are global landmarks in their own right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bishopscourt market is one of the most valuable in the country, with listings starting around R20 million and stretching well beyond R100 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average asking price is now R28.4 million, with the average selling price around R25.4 million. But scarcity of stock means demand remains exceptionally high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Property values in Bishopscourt have more than doubled over the past decade, making it one of the strongest-performing residential markets in South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen some of the highest-value transactions in the country here, with sales above R50 million not uncommon,\u201d Venter noted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo far this year, 71% of all sales have been above R20 million, including two purchases by UK buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demand is so intense that homes in Bishopscourt sell rapidly. \u201cProperties here are selling within just 45 days, often much faster,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe recently sold a prestigious estate for R34.5 million (before it was even officially listed), at 98% of the asking price to a local buyer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some of South Africa’s elites are flocking to buy homes in these two suburbs, including foreign embassies, executives, and celebrities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":784682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[23780,2279,8291,11693,853,23779],"class_list":["post-839517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-bishopscourt","tag-cape-town","tag-pretoria","tag-seeff-property-group","tag-south-africa","tag-waterkloof"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839517","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=839517"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":839581,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839517\/revisions\/839581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/784682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}