Mid South Property

For a wide range of properties in the Mid South of Johannesburg , make contact with Rockthatch Realty , and find out how to invest in this great part of our wonderful country.

RockThatch Realty offers an outstanding  range of property options.

The area is made up of a number of suburbs , such as  Alan Manor , Meredale , Ormonde , Winchester Hills , Mondeor , Suideroord ,  Kibler Heights and Oakdene.

Strong demand for property in some of Johannesburg's southern suburbs has prompted solid price growth - although these homes remain relatively affordable.

Here, wide-open spaces lend themselves to a variety of recreational pursuits such as cycling, golf, canoeing, moto-cross, bird-watching and hiking, and recent years have brought extensive development as homebuyers "rediscovered"Johannesburg's Southern suburbs and especially its affordability and value-for-money compared to the city's northern suburbs. 

These southern suburbs are also well-maintained, have good schools and modern shopping centres, enjoy less traffic congestion than the northern areas and offer a huge variety of property options, from flats and townhouses, through well-kept family homes with pools and large gardens to impressive new villas in gated golf and nature estates. 

The playground of Johannesburg' is how development consultant Andrew Barker describes the city's southern suburbs. Regarded by many as the City of Gold's best kept secret, this southern area offers a diversity of draw cards for resident and visitor alike, from the culturally and historically interesting to a wealth of natural beauty. Its wide open spaces provide the adventure seeker a vast choice of recreation opportunities - cycling, golf, canoeing, motocross, bird-watching and hiking, to name a few. And all of this just 10 kilometres from the city centre.

But, the secret is out. The area's allure has caught the interest of investors, property developers, and the tourism and recreation industries, making the ‘old south' the ‘new north'. The most pressing concern now is achieving a balance between development and conservation so that the one complements the other. ‘We in the south value our cultural and natural heritage, which includes vast tracts of unspoilt land, including the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve. However, the natural beauty needs to add value to property development, and, in the same way, property development needs to add value to our natural heritage.

A possible solution to overdevelopment that Andrew, with the help of the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve Association, Jo'burg City Parks and the Gauteng Conservancy Association (GCA), has proposed is that they create a conservancy to protect the natural environment in the south. The conservancy would encompass a total area of 150 square kilometres, bordered by the southern bypass up to the Reading Interchange, the R59 down to the Klip River, along the R550 and R554 west to the N1. By turning the area into a conservancy, more control is given to the parties concerned about the development of the land, and protection is afforded to the many sensitive areas, including wetlands and the habitats of red data species.

For many years the north has enjoyed development and investment, such as the funds currently being injected into the Gautrain, because of the extensive mining activities in the area.

After all, where else in Jo'burg is there such natural beauty, where you are within walking distance of a nature reserve brimming with wildlife, but at the same time only a 10-minute drive from the city centre?

A useful participant in the drive to change the perception of the south is the SOJO Business & Tourism Forum (SOJO, for South of Jo'burg), a non-profit organisation formed in 1998 and committed to the rejuvenation of business areas through the upliftment of facilities and establishment of employment opportunities in the south. ‘Our initiatives are to make the south conducive to business and residents alike by promoting a safer and cleaner environment. This is done through our cemented working relationship with Council's service delivery departments and businesses,' explains SOJO's CEO, Nicky Vakaloudis.

The organisation is developing a tourist route called the SOJO Loop, which will be similar in nature to the popular Crocodile Ramble further north.  Jo'burg Tourism is very excited about the initiative. The SOJO Loop will include tourist attractions such as: Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, Wemmer Pan, the James Hall Museum of Transport, Phumelela Turffontein Racecourse, Gold Reef City (Jo'burg's most popular tourist spot, which includes a casino and a theme park), the Apartheid Museum, Thaba Ya Batswana Eco-lodge, and Expo Centre Johannesburg at Nasrec. All of them are already incorporated in the seven significant precincts under SOJO's banner, as are historically and culturally important attractions in Soweto. ‘We are now working closely with the Johannesburg Tourism Company to promote and put these attractive destinations on the map,' says Nicky. SOJO also hopes to incorporate George Harrison Park (the now forgotten and neglected historical site where gold was first discovered on the Witwatersrand, ) into the Loop.

It seems that the City's decision makers are now starting to pay attention to the importance of promoting investment, growth and development in the south. An Urban Development Framework (UDF) for the Nasrec Arena in the southwest has been put in place to boost development for 2010 and beyond, and a huge amount of investment is flowing into what is regarded as the ‘new south', including the affluent suburbs of Glenvista, Glenanda, Mulbarton, Meyersdal and Bassonia. ‘Houses and housing developments are springing up, revamps are being undertaken, and, generally, people are buying after discovering the area's less congested roads and easy access to locations such as OR Tambo International, the CBD and major shopping centres.

The area offers all the same amenities as Sandton, without the excessive traffic congestion of the north. The shopping centres are top class, the roads and pavements are well maintained and the schools are some of the country's best. The area also offers four golf courses, a number of parks and fabulous restaurants. The south offers everything you can dream of .

Suburbs in Johannesburg's old south, such as Mondeor, are seeing renewed interest by investors, who are snapping up bargains to renovate and resell or let.

For a wide range of properties in the Mid South of Johannesburg , make contact with Rockthatch Realty , and find out how to invest in this great part of our wonderful country .

• Residential Sale Property Ranging from R395,000 to R3,820,000