Property

New ‘city’ in South Africa’s richest province set to break ground

Shaun Jacobs • 19 November 2025

Central Park City in Johannesburg is set to begin construction of its first phase, Madison Square, which will be joined by five other phases in the future, building up to a total of 3,450 apartments.

This new ‘city’ is one of many set to come to Gauteng, with the province struggling with a housing shortage estimated at around 1.3 million homes.

At the current construction rate, this will take decades to address, with the provincial government launching six ‘Mega Cities’ along key transport routes.

Central Park City is not one of these, with it being a privately-funded development on 32 hectares of land in the Newlands/Sophiatown region of Johannesburg.

Construction is set to begin soon on the new development, with its first phase of 624 units already being on sale. Currently, 124 units are on sale, and the following units will be released in five more phases at regular intervals from 2026 onwards.

Seeff Property Group chairman Samuel Seeff previously said that the first units have already been sold and significant interest is expected in the new development.

The project aims to be a precinct for young professionals and students, looking for easy access to the University of Johannesburg and Wits, as well as the historic CBD and Rosebank.

Significant progress has been made at the site so far, with it being rehabilitated to be made suitable for the substantial construction to come.

Aimed at first-time buyers, the first development, Madison Square, has apartments selling for between R589,000 and R971,000.

The project is being led by Urban Dev Property Development, which has a track record of delivering large housing projects such as the Vista Park integrated development in Bloemfontein.

Apart from the thousands of apartments, the development is set to have a shopping village with a Pick n Pay, Clicks, and potentially a private gym.

Amenities will include laundromats, clubhouses, communal braai areas, children’s play areas, private and public parks, and sporting facilities, including combi courts, a full five-a-side mini soccer astro court, Pickleball, outdoor gym, and skateboard rink.

Seeff expects strong interest in the new development, with it offering an attractive opportunity for buyers and property investors alike.

Gauteng’s new ‘city’ revolution

Central Park City is one of many new developments, so-called ‘cities’, to be built around Gauteng to alleviate the province’s housing shortage.

The province has seen immense growth in recent years through semigration from other parts of South Africa as individuals search for work and value.

Historically, South Africa’s economic hub, Gauteng has seen a distinct lack of new infrastructure development to accommodate its growing population.

This can be seen in the sporadic water shortages that impact parts of the province and the fragility of Johannesburg’s City Power-managed grid.

As a silver bullet of sorts for this crisis, the Gauteng Provincial Government has announced plans to construct six ‘Mega Cities’ across the province.

Located close to major transport hubs, these cities are set to create nodes that are largely self-sufficient to add housing in Gauteng without putting pressure on existing infrastructure.

Southern Farms Mega City in the south of Johannesburg has seen the most progress, with construction beginning on the mixed-use land project in October 2025.

With a total value of R27 billion and 43,000 houses, this development is seen as providing the blueprint for the province’s new model of property development.

Southern Farms Mega City will be constructed alongside other megacities such as Cullinan Mega City, Daggafontein Mega City, Goudrand Mega City, John Dube Mega City and Stinkwater Mega City.

These developments are designed to include significant infrastructure developments to service the tens of thousands of residential units and commercial operations.

The six megacities are located on at least one of Gauteng’s major transport corridors and will feature schools, universities, hospitals, and transport hubs.

This will alleviate pressure on already heavily developed parts of Gauteng and tackle the housing shortage without overloading existing infrastructure.

These represent a move away from sporadic and uncoordinated developments to purposely planned and developed areas that are intended to be as self-sufficient as possible.