Johannesburg and Gauteng metros currently offer exceptional value for property buyers and investors, with historically low prices, high rental yields, and far more space for the cost compared to Cape Town. Gerhard van der Linde, Managing Director of Seeff Pretoria East and Pretoria North echoes the views recently expressed by Samuel Seeff, Group Chairman of the Seeff Property Group.
Buyers should take advantage of interest rate savings and the opportunity to invest, since this rare window of opportunity is unlikely to last as the market rebounds. “You can find unbelievable value, even in the luxury areas where you can find mansions for under R10 million to R15 million,” Seeff said. While the market is picking up, it remains sluggish, primarily due to poor infrastructure maintenance and management.
However, this will not always be the case. “Years of low growth are well reflected in the property transactions. Lightstone data shows that Joburg’s and Pretoria’s property transactions are down compared to previous years. “It has lost significant property value over the last few years, with negative property value growth of 1.3%, the weakest of the metros, and notably below Cape Town’s 6% growth.
The average property price has remained static at around R1.3 million says Seeff. According to Payprop, Gauteng’s rental growth was below average every quarter of 2024, finishing the year at 3.4%. In Q1 2025, it declined further to 2.9%. This was the second lowest in South Africa, after Mpumalanga, which grew at 1.1%. In comparison, the province with the highest rental growth, the North West, grew 13.5% during the quarter. Pretoria as South Africa’s capital is also the preferred headquarters for most embassies who are based here.
According to New World Wealth, Gauteng also has the largest concentration of wealth, with nearly 15,000 dollar-millionaires. “Right now, the cost to build is significantly higher than what you can buy for, and buyers and investors should take advantage.” Seeff argued that, despite its current challenges, Gauteng possesses enormous untapped potential. It is the most populous metro with the highest urbanisation rate, as people flock to Gauteng for economic opportunities.
