List of tallest buildings and structures in South Africa

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 four areas: Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

, Port Elizabeth, Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

, and Pretoria

Pretoria

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...

/Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

. Beyond these four economic centres, development is marginal and poverty is still prevalent despite government efforts. Consequently the vast majority of South Africans are poor. However, key marginal areas have experienced rapid growth recently. Such areas include Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province...

to Plettenberg Bay

Plettenberg Bay

Plettenberg Bay, nicknamed Plet or Plett, is the primary town of the Bitou Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of the census of 2001, there were 29149 population...

; Rustenburg area; Nelspruit

Nelspruit

Nelspruit is a city of more than 500,000 people situated in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province . Located on the Crocodile River, Nelspruit lies about west of the Mozambique border and east of Johannesburg. The towns of Nelspruit are Kanyamazane and Pienaar...

area; Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...

; Cape West Coast; and the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.
The tallest building currently under construction is 'Portside' in Cape Town, at 139 m (456 ft) tall. This new development will be the tallest built in South Africa since the end of the apartheid era. Many other construction proposals are currently on the table such as the possibly supertall "Sandton City Tower 1" which could potentially between 230 and 310 meters tall. The city of Johannesburg is presently looking into high density highrise village projects which, if approved, could transform the skyline of Johannesburg in coming years.

Tallest buildings

This list ranks South African skyscrapers that stand at least 100 m (328 ft) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts.

Type	Name	Pinnacle height	Floors	Built	City	Notes
Smoke stack	SASOL III Synthetic Fuel Production Plant	301 m (988 ft)			Secunda
Smoke stack	Duvha Power Station Duvha Power Station Duvha Power Station in Mpumalanga, South Africa, is a coal-fired power plant operated by Eskom. The tall chimneys at Duvha are the tallest structures in Africa.-History:...	300 m (984 ft)			Witbank Witbank Witbank , also known as eMalahleni is a city situated on the Highveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa, within the eMalahleni Local Municipality. The name Witbank is Afrikaans for White Ridge and is named after a white sandstone outcrop where wagon transport drivers rested...
Smoke stack	Lethabo Power Station	275 m (902 ft)			Sasolburg Sasolburg Sasolburg is a large industrial town in the far north of the Free State province of South Africa. Sasolburg is further sub-divided into three areas: Sasolburg proper, Vaalpark and Zamdela...
Transmission tower	Hillbrow Tower Hillbrow Tower The Hillbrow Tower is a tall tower located in the suburb of Hillbrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. At , it has been the tallest structure and tower in Africa for 40 years, and it was also the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere until 1978, when surpassed by the 270m Mount Isa Chimney in...	269 m (883 ft)	6	1971	Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...	Tallest structure in South Africa and on the Continent of Africa
Transmission Tower	Sentech Tower Sentech Tower Sentech Tower is a TV tower in the Brixton suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a well-known and easily identifiable landmark in the city, alongside its architectural cousin, the Hillbrow Tower.-History:...	239 m (784 ft)		1962	Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
Building	Carlton Centre Carlton Centre The Carlton Centre is a skyscraper and shopping centre located in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. At , it has been the tallest building in Africa for 38 years. The Carlton Centre has 50 floors. The foundations of the two buildings in the complex are 3.5m in diameter and extend 20m down to the...	223 m (731.6 ft)	50	1973	Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...	Tallest building in South Africa and on the Continent of Africa
Transmission Tower	Telkom Tower	198 m (650 ft)		1978	Pretoria Pretoria Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...	Tallest structure in Pretoria
Building	Ponte City Apartments Ponte City Apartments Ponte City is a skyscraper in the Hillbrow neighbourhood of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1975 to a height of , 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...	173 m (567.6 ft)	54	1975	Johannesburg	Tallest residential building in Africa.
Building	Marble Towers Marble Towers The 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 44 metres by 32...	152 m (498.7 ft)	32	1973	Johannesburg
Building	Pearl Dawn	152 m (498.7 ft)	31	2010	Umhlanga	Tallest building outside a downtown CBD are in South Africa. Part of the Pearls of Umhlanga Development.
Building	South African Reserve Bank Building South African Reserve Bank The South African Reserve Bank is the central bank of South Africa. It was established in 1921 after Parliament passed an act, the "Currency and Bank Act of 10 August 1920," as a direct result of the abnormal monetary and financial conditions which World War I had brought...	150 m (492.1 ft)	38	1988	Pretoria Pretoria Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...	Tallest building in Pretoria
Building	Metlife Centre	150 m (492.1 ft)	28	1993	Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...	Currently the tallest building in Cape Town.
Building	88 on Field	147 m (482.3 ft)	26	1985	Durban	Currently the tallest building in Durban.
Building	KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1 KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel 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" , 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...	140 m (459.3 ft)	40	1970	Johannesburg	Mothballed since 1998
Building	Michelangelo Towers	140 m (459.3 ft)	34	2005	Sandton
Building	Trust Bank Building Trust Bank Building Trust Bank Building is a skyscraper in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1970 to a height of 140 metres. 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...	140 m (459.3 ft)	34	1970	Johannesburg
Building	Standard Bank Building	139 m (456 ft)	34	1968	Johannesburg
Building	Southern Life Center	138 m (452.8 ft)	30	1973	Johannesburg
Building	Monte Blanc	133 m (436.4 ft)	40	1985	Durban
Building	ABSA Tower Pretoria	132 m (433.1 ft)	38	1976	Pretoria
Building	Old Mutual Centre	130 m (426.5 ft)	33	1995	Durban
Building	Pearl Breeze	128 m (419.9 ft)	25	2010	Umhlanga	Part of the Pearls of Umhlanga Development.
Building	UCS Building	128 m (419.9 ft)	29	1976	Johannesburg
Building	1 Thibault Square	127 m (416.7 ft)	31	1972	Cape Town
Building	Kine Center	123 m (403.5 ft)	27	1974	Johannesburg
Building	Embassy Building	120 m (393.7 ft)	28	1991	Durban
Building	Atterbury House	119 m (390.4 ft)	29	1976	Cape Town
Building	Carlton Hotel	119 m (390.4 ft)	30	1973	Johannesburg	Mothballed since 1997
Building	Southern Sun Garden Court Marine Parade	118 m (387.1 ft)	28	1985	Durban	Currently the tallest hotel in South Africa.
Building	Southern Sun Garden Court North Beach	118 m (387.1 ft)	33	1978	Durban
Building	ABSA Centre Cape Town	117 m (383.9 ft)	33	1970	Durban
Building	The Spinnaker	117 m (383.9 ft)	27	2007	Durban
Building	320 West Street	111 m (364.2 ft)	30	1973	Durban
Building	Poyntons Centre	110 m (360.9 ft)	30	1968	Pretoria
Building	Schlesinger Building	110 m (360.9 ft)	21	1965	Johannesburg
Building	Golden Acre	110 m (360.9 ft)	28	1979	Cape Town
Building	Protea Hotel Landmark Lodge	110 m (360.9 ft)	31	1976	Durban
Building	The Parade	110 m (360.9 ft)	30	1986	Durban
Building	Southern Sun Cape Sun	105 m (344.5 ft)	32	1982	Cape Town
Building	Highpoint Hillbrow	105 m (344.5 ft)	25	1972	Johannesburg
Building	Deneys Reitz Deneys Reitz Deneys Reitz , son of Francis William Reitz, was a Boer soldier, later a South African soldier in the First World War, and a politician....	100 m (328.1 ft)	24	2010	Johannesburg

Tallest under construction, approved and proposed

This lists skyscrapers that are under construction, approved or proposed in South Africa and planned to rise over 100 m (328 ft) tall, but are not yet completed structures. there is 1 building under construction and 20 high-rises planned.

Under construction, approved, and proposed>

Name	Height m / ft	Floors	Year	City	Status	Notes
Sandton City Tower 1	~290 m (951.4 ft)	80	??	Sandton	Proposed	Upon completion, this building would become the tallest residential building in Africa. Part of the Sandton City Sandton City Sandton City is a shopping centre located in Sandton, Johannesburg that was built as pioneer centre in 1973.-Redevelopment:Liberty Properties announced in 2008 that Sandton City would receive a R1.77 billion upgrade... redevelopment project.
Sandton City Tower 2	~180 m (590.6 ft)	50	??	Sandton	Proposed	Part of the Sandton City redevelopment project.
Portside Tower Portside Tower The Portside Tower is a 139 metre skyscraper currently under construction in Cape Town, South Africa. Once completed in 2014 it will be the tallest building in Cape Town and will be the first skyscaper to be built in Cape Town in the past 15 years....	139 m (456 ft)	32	2014	Cape Town	Under construction	Upon completion, this building will become the tallest in Cape Town. First major skyscraper to be constructed in the post-apartheid era.

Tallest buildings

Tallest under construction, approved and proposed

See also