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Housing
T
he suburbs surrounding the
campuses of the University
of the Witwatersrand, Univer-
sity of Johannesburg, Wits Technikon
have been transformed into student
central, with literally thousands of
rooms and apartments of various
sizes available to let. Many of these
areas, especially Braamfontein,
Doornfontein and Richmond have
also really benefited from the explo-
sion of demand for student accom-
modation in terms of urban regen-
eration and employment creation,
says David Jacobs from the Rawson
Property Group.
“Old apartment and office build-
ings have been given a new lease
of life as trendy and generally well-
managed student blocks complete
with their own canteens, games
rooms, rooftop entertainment ven-
ues, gyms, study halls, laundries,
shuttle services and free wi-fi. New
shops, restaurants, markets and
service businesses have sprung up
to meet the needs of the burgeoning
resident population. The streets are
cleaner and better lit, there are good
public transport options and areas
that were once among the dingiest
in Johannesburg are now vibrant and
bustling.”
The City of Joburg has a new set
of regulations regarding communes
which it enforces quite rigorously, and
there are now many more flats avail-
able in these areas thanks to steady
development over the past few years.
In addition, the City is now propos-
ing to build more accommodation
specifically for students along Perth
Road, which is the spine of one of its
“Corridors of Freedom” and is already
served by the new Rea Vaya rapid
transit system as well as other public
transport. And as a result, these areas
are back to being family-friendly and
once again enjoying high demand
among academics working at UJ and
Wits, as well as medical personnel
working at the nearby Helen Joseph
and Milpark hospitals, senior SABC
and Mediapark staff, and business
executives with offices close by in
Richmond or Parktown.”
However, most private invest-
ment in student accommodation in
Johannesburg is now taking place
in Braamfontein and Doornfontein,
where several major players such as
Aengus, iThemba, Southpoint and
The best places to find student apartments
Respublica have proved that there
are excellent returns to be made if
one can acquire student apartments
at the right price and ensure they are
well-managed.
Currently, purchase prices for
studio and one bedroomapartments
in Braamfontein close to Wits range
from around R320 000 all the way up
to about R600 000.
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