List of tallest buildings in South Africa explained

South Africa is the most structurally and economically developed nation on the African continent. As such, its major cities have experienced construction booms that most other cities of similar size in Africa have not. Advanced development is significantly localised around five areas: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Bloemfontein and Pretoria/Johannesburg. However, key marginal areas have experienced rapid growth. Such areas include the Garden Route (Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay), Rustenburg area, Nelspruit area, Cape West Coast, and the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.

Tallest buildings

This list ranks South African buildings that stand at least 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details.

NameHeight (architectural)FloorsBuiltCityNotes
234 m (767 ft)55 2019 Fourth tallest building in Africa and tallest in sub-Saharan Africa. The Leonardo was the tallest building on the continent for a brief period in April 2019.
Carlton Centre223m (732feet)50 1973 JohannesburgFifth tallest building in Africa and second tallest in sub-Saharan Africa. The Carlton Centre was the tallest building in Africa for 46 years, from 1973 until 2019.
Ponte City Apartments173m (568feet)541975 Johannesburg Tallest residential building in Africa.
Marble Towers152m (499feet)32 1973 Johannesburg For a brief period in 1973, this was the tallest building in Africa. Marble Towers was the first building in South Africa to surpass the ancient and early mediaeval height of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt (146.6m (481feet)).
South African Reserve Bank Building150m (490feet)381988Pretoria[1] Tallest building in Pretoria
88 on Field146m (479feet)26 1985[2] Tallest building in Durban Central.
Sandton City Office Tower 141m (463feet)22 1973 Sandton Topped out in 2014.
Michelangelo Towers140m (460feet)34 2005 Sandton The tallest single-purpose hotel in South Africa.
140m (460feet)32 1970 Johannesburg
KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1140m (460feet)40 1970 Johannesburg [3] Mothballed since 1998; under its previous name, the Johannesburg Sun Hotel, it was tied with the Trust Bank Building as the tallest building in Africa from 1970 to 1973.
Trust Bank Building140m (460feet)31 1970 Johannesburg [4] The Trust Bank Building was tied with the Johannesburg Sun Hotel as the tallest building in Africa from 1970 to 1973.
Portside Tower139m (456feet)32 2014 [5] Tallest building in Cape Town.[6]
Standard Bank Centre139m (456feet)34 1968 Johannesburg [7] The Standard Bank Centre was the tallest building in Africa from 1968 to 1970. It was the first building in South Africa taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza (138.5m (454.4feet)), which had been the continent's tallest building since its completion ca. 2600 BC.
138m (453feet)30 1973 Johannesburg [8]
Monte Blanc 133m (436feet)40 1985 Durban [9]
ABSA Tower Pretoria 132m (433feet)38 1976 Pretoria [10]
130m (430feet)33 1995 Durban [11]
128m (420feet)29 1976 Johannesburg [12]
1 Thibault Square127m (417feet)31 1972 Cape Town [13]
The Spinnaker124m (407feet)272007Durban[14]
123m (404feet)27 1974 Johannesburg [15]
Embassy Building 120m (390feet)28 1991 Durban [16]
Metlife Centre 119m (390feet)281993Cape Town[17]
119m (390feet)29 1976 Cape Town [18]
Carlton Hotel119m (390feet)30 1973 Johannesburg [19] Mothballed since 1997
Southern Sun Garden Court Marine Parade (ex-Elangeni Hotel)118m (387feet)28 1985 Durban [20]
Southern Sun Garden Court North Beach (ex-Maharani Hotel)118m (387feet)33 1978 Durban [21]
117m (384feet)34 1970 Cape Town [22]
Radiopark117m (384feet)30 1962 Johannesburg Radiopark was the tallest building in South Africa from 1962 until 1968.
16 on Bree118 m (387 ft)362021Cape Town
Civitas Building112m (367feet)311973Pretoria
320 West Street 111m (364feet)30 1973 Durban [23]
Poyntons Centre 110m (360feet)30 1968 Pretoria [24]
110m (360feet)21 1965 Johannesburg [25]
Golden Acre 110m (360feet)28 1979 Cape Town [26]
Protea Hotel Landmark Lodge 110m (360feet)31 1976 Durban [27]
The Palace 110m (360feet)261986 Durban [28]
Agricultural Union Centre110m (360feet)301968Pretoria
John Ross House109m (358feet)331973Durban
Durban Bay House106m (348feet)321986Durban
Southern Sun Cape Sun 105m (344feet)32 1982 Cape Town [29]
105m (344feet)25 1972 Johannesburg [30]
Pullman Hotel (ex-Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence) 104m (341feet)26 1993 Cape Town
Maluti104m (341feet)331984Durban
Transnet Tower103m (338feet)271973Durban
Pearl Sky102m (335feet)312010Durban
101 Victoria Embankment102m (335feet)381981Durban
Servamus House102m (335feet)251973Durban
Saambou Building102m (335feet)301951Pretoria The Saambou Building was tallest building in South Africa from 1951 to 1962.
Western Cape Provincial Administration Building101m (331feet)261976Cape Town
Loch Logan Park100m (300feet)201983Bloemfontein
Bowmans Gilfillan Building100m (300feet)182017Sandton

Cities with the most skyscrapers

This table shows South African cities with at least one skyscraper over 100 metres in height, completed.

RankCity≥100 m≥150 m≥200 m≥250 mTotal
1Durban19119
2Johannesburg132217
3Cape Town1010
4Pretoria617
5Sandton213
6Bloemfontein22

Notable buildings in Johannesburg

Johannesburg features a variety of commercial and residential buildings, so there are also a few modern buildings such as the KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel and the Trust Bank Building. The Johannesburg-Pretoria combined metropolitan area has the densest concentration of skyscrapers on the continent and one of the densest in the world.

The Leonardo is a skyscaper in the prosperous northern suburb of Sandton. At 234 m, it is the fourth-tallest building in Africa and was the tallest building on the continent from mid-April 2019 until 29 April 2019, when it was surpassed by the Great Mosque of Algiers Tower in Algeria. It remains the tallest building in South Africa, and in sub-Saharan Africa.

Carlton Centre is a skyscraper and shopping centre located in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. At 223 metres (730 ft), it was the tallest building in Africa for 46 years and stands at about half the height of the Willis Tower (the former Sears Tower) in Chicago. It was the tallest building in the southern hemisphere when originally completed, and remains the fifth-tallest building in Africa and the second-tallest in sub-Saharan Africa. The Carlton Centre has 50 floors, and is 223m (732feet) tall. The foundations of the two buildings in the complex are 3.5m (11.5feet) in diameter and extend 20m (70feet) down to the bedrock, 30m (100feet) below street level. The building houses both offices and shops, and has over 46 per cent of the floor area below ground level. A viewing deck on the 50th floor offers views of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Ponte City is a skyscraper in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1975 to a height of 173 m (567.6 ft), making it the tallest residential skyscraper in Africa. The 54-story building is cylindrical, with an open center allowing additional light into the apartments. The center space is known as "the core" and rises above an uneven rock floor. Ponte City was an extremely desirable address for its views over all of Johannesburg and its surroundings. The sign on top of the building is the highest and largest sign in the southern hemisphere. It advertises the South African mobile phone company Vodacom.

Marble Towers is a skyscraper in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1973 and is 32 storeys tall. The building has an eight-storey parking garage attached to it. It has the biggest electronic sign in the Southern Hemisphere, measuring NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet). It is made out of a mixture of concrete and marble. Its main use is for commercial offices.

KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel is a skyscraper in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, South Africa. The complex, built in 1970 originally as "The Tollman Towers" (owned by the prominent South African family), were two separate towers, one 40 stories and the other 22, linked by a four-story podium with a pool deck and a running track. The building was empty for many years as the hotel, The Johannesburg Sun, relocated to Sandton. The building was then converted to a Holiday Inn, which also quickly failed. The new KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel opened in 2001, when it hosted 3000 police officers for the world summit on sustainable development, it was owned Mark Whitehead of Whitehead Enterprises, then also soon went out of business. The building is "mothballed."

Sandton City is a shopping centre located in Sandton, Johannesburg that was built as pioneer centre in 1973. The tower was built as part of a business park for downtown Sandton, a suburb of Johannesburg. Liberty Properties announced in 2008 that Sandton City would receive a R1.77 billion upgrade. Liberty Properties Chief Executive Samuel Ogbo envisaged the complex as South Africa's very own Wall Street The redevelopment will include the construction of a 60-storey office tower, new retail and office space and residential apartments. The extension will stretch to 30000m2 and the total complex will have a gross lettable area of 158000m2.

Trust Bank Building is a skyscraper in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1970 to a height of 140m (460feet). The building is the former head office of Trust Bank of South Africa, and as such has one of the largest bank vaults in South Africa. The building was sold in February 2003 for Rand 6.4 million (USD $640.000), which may prompt the name to be changed to that of the new tenant.

11 Diagonal Street is a skyscraper in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1984 to a height of 80m (260feet). It is designed to look like a diamond as it reflects different views of the Central Business District from each angle of the building.

Timeline of tallest buildings in South Africa

Timeline of tallest buildings over 100 m (330 ft). Excludes all demolished or destroyed buildings.

NameCityYears as tallestMetersFeetFloorsPhoto
The LeonardoSandton2019–present23476755
Carlton CentreJohannesburg1973–201922373250
Marble TowersJohannesburg1973-197315249932
KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1Johannesburg1970-197314046040
Trust Bank BuildingJohannesburg14046031
Standard Bank CentreJohannesburg1968-197013945634
RadioparkJohannesburg1962-196811738430
Saambou BuildingPretoria1951-196210233530

Tallest topped out, under construction, approved, proposed and on hold

This lists skyscrapers that are topped out, under construction, on hold, approved or proposed in South Africa, but are not yet completed structures . This list only includes buildings of more or equal to 100 metres.

NameHeight
m / ft
FloorsYearCityStatus
W Hotel & Residences145m (476feet)36TBCCape TownPostponed
Northern Lights
  • 132m (433feet)
38TBCSandtonNever Built
Oceans Umhlanga Tower 1125m (410feet)30TBCUmhlangaUnder Construction
Oceans Umhlanga Tower 2125m (410feet)30TBCUmhlangaUnder Construction
One on Bree131m (430feet)40TBCCape TownProposed
Radisson Blu Hotel112m (367feet)282022UmhlangaComplete
  • Rough estimate from CTBUH. The actual height of this building has not been announced yet.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: South African Reserve Bank Building, Pretoria - 103551 - EMPORIS. Emporis. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070324101347/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=southafricanreservebankbuilding-pretoria-southafrica. 2007-03-24.
  2. Web site: 88 on Field, Durban. Emporis. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20191031232657/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/103500/88-on-field-durban-south-africa. 2019-10-31. 2020-02-12.
  3. Web site: Kwa Dukuza Egoli Hotel Tower 1, Johannesburg. Emporis. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070210190740/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=kwadukuzaegolihoteltower1-johannesburg-southafrica. 2007-02-10.
  4. Web site: Trust Bank Building, Johannesburg. https://archive.today/20121206041416/http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=trustbankbuilding-johannesburg-southafrica. dead. 6 December 2012. Emporis.
  5. Web site: The Building. Portside. usurped. https://web.archive.org/web/20141019044228/http://portside.co.za/building. 19 October 2014.
  6. Web site: Cape Town's tallest building officially unveiled. 15 August 2014. Property 360. IOL Property. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140816200524/http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/cape_town_s_tallest_building. 16 August 2014.
  7. Web site: Standard Bank Centre, Johannesburg. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120312191357/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=5286. 2012-03-12.
  8. Web site: Southern Life Centre, Johannesburg. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205014747/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6786. 2010-02-05.
  9. Web site: Monte Blanc, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020329/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7477. 2010-02-05.
  10. Web site: ABSA Tower, Pretoria. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120312144315/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=8742. 2012-03-12.
  11. Web site: Old Mutual Centre, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020336/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6144. 2010-02-05.
  12. Web site: UCS Building, Johannesburg. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205015057/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=9340. 2010-02-05.
  13. Web site: BP Centre, Cape Town. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205005256/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6547. 2010-02-05.
  14. Web site: The Spinnaker, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020602/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=39718. 2010-02-05.
  15. Web site: Kine Centre, Johannesburg. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205015100/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=9341. 2010-02-05.
  16. Web site: Embassy Building, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020325/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7478. 2010-02-05.
  17. Web site: Metlife Centre, Cape Town. https://archive.today/20120730164005/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=metlifecentre-capetown-southafrica. dead. 30 July 2012. Emporis.
  18. Web site: Shell House, Cape Town. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205005532/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7455. 2010-02-05.
  19. Web site: Carlton Centre Hotel, Johannesburg. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205014613/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7474. 2010-02-05.
  20. Web site: Holiday Inn Durban - Marine Parade, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020353/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6798. 2010-02-05.
  21. Web site: Holiday Inn Garden Court North Beach, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020358/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6795. 2010-02-05.
  22. Web site: ABSA Centre Cape Town, Cape Town. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205005432/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7469. 2010-02-05.
  23. Web site: 320 West Street, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020544/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=8622. 2010-02-05.
  24. Web site: Poyntons Centre, Pretoria. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205021803/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=8743. 2010-02-05.
  25. Web site: Schlesinger Building, Johannesburg. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205015107/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=9343. 2010-02-05.
  26. Web site: Golden Acre, Cape Town. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205005535/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1345. 2010-02-05.
  27. Web site: Protea Hotel Landmark Lodge, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020332/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7479. 2010-02-05.
  28. Web site: The Parade, Durban. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020312/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7480. 2010-02-05.
  29. Web site: Holiday Inn Cape Town, Cape Town. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205005513/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=5781. 2010-02-05.
  30. Web site: Highpoint Hillbrow, Johannesburg. SkyscraperPage.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205015110/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=9344. 2010-02-05.