March 4 2025 16:10
SOUTH AFRICA
The truly iconic Ponte City also known as “Ponte Tower” which has been a focal of Johannesburg’s skyline for five decades, during which it has undergone numerous facelifts and changes, is looking for a new owner.
Kempston Turck Hire, one of the country’s largest commercial fleet rental businesses has owned Ponte for more than a decade, having improved what has mostly become a trophy asset. It feels the tower needs a new owner which is skilled in residential management and development to take it to the next level.
The tower will be sold by Broll Auctions and Sales through a private tender process.
At 173m tower, Ponte was the continent’s tallest residential apartment building for 48 years. Its storied history begins with it being an address of choice for Johannesburg’s elite. It was designed by starchitects Mannie Feldman, Manfred Hermer and Rodney Grosskopff and became one of South Africa’s most recognisable and photographed buildings.
Located on the edge of Hillbrow, once home to a cosmopolitan mix of writers and intellectuals, and where interracial-mixing saw Apartheid laws flouted, Ponte’s unique design with its hollow interior resulted from regulations which stipulated that both kitchens and bathrooms required light and ventilation. At the time, the City authorities favoured taller, slimmer buildings which allowed sunlight and occupied less space. It was genuine South African citizen on the Johannesburg skyline as opposed to being a huge glass skyscraper and impostor
Ponte stands by the suburbs of Yeoville and Berea.
“This legendary high-rise building, topped with South Africa’s most desirable outdoor advertising space, has ridden the highs and lows of the property market over the decades as Berea’s fortunes changed, and remains a one-of-a-kind, and once-in-a-lifetime asset which is an integral part of Johannesburg’s skyline,” said Norman Raad, CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales.
“Ponte is the epitome of true urban grit, having weathered the highs and lows of South Africa’s evolving urban and economic landscape,” he said.
But the tower fell into disrepute post-Apartheid and, in 2002, it was declared a slum.
But the building was improved years later when its 480 apartments across more than 54-storeys were refurbished. A 5-star AirBnb penthouse was also developed.
“Today the rental-only property, which includes penthouse, bachelor, studio, one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments, is tenanted above 85%, and is home to people from across the continent who enjoy living safely within its confines,” Raad said.
The property has 570 secure parking bays and is zoned Business 1, with retail stores on the bottom floor offering convenience for tenants and passing traffic.
Aside from defining the skyline, Ponte is well-known in SA for being a filming location. It has featured in several movies including Darrell Roodt’s Dangerous Ground starring Ice Cube and Elizabeth Hurley, Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 and B-movie Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, as well as a Drake music video, art exhibitions, books and a TV series.
“This historic building, which has been home to people from all walks of life, is now awaiting an investment group or developer to take it into its next chapter,” said Raad.
Whoever buys it will need to accommodate the people who live in its needs and help to develop amenities for the communities around it for it not to fail or at least weaken in the near future, Property Flash editor Alistair Anderson said.
The private tender closes on April 10, 2025. More information at https://www.onlinebrollauctions.com/property/ponte-city/111426
Partner content for Broll Auctions and Sales
alistair@propertyflash.co.za
