Why Diepkloof Ext is a sought-after area among Soweto property buyers

TimesLIVE

24-07-2025

Diepkloof Extension in Soweto is proving to be increasingly attractive to 'people who love the best of the kasi lifestyle with an affluent twist' because of its larger plots and an older, family-orientated community.
This is the sentiment of Trish Luthuli, Pam Golding Properties West Rand area manager, who said buyers view it as good value for money.
Prices in this section of DK, as it is affectionately known, range from R1.2m to R1.9m, according to the agency's data.
'Most of these homes are built strong and are solid, in an area which has tarred roads and well-maintained pavements. Since there are no sectional title developments here, it makes it unique,' said Luthuli.
'They are being maintained as 'family homes' that lean towards the 'intergenerational living' concept of shared spaces.'
An uptick in property sales in Soweto was noted last year by property analytics company Lightstone. Its data showed about 2,200 residential properties worth nearly R900m were transacted in Soweto in 2023, the highest annual sales value yet recorded in the township. Sales of free-standing homes also thrived in 2019.
Spanning about 200km 2, Soweto is home to an estimated 1.3-million people, living in 37 suburbs on 186,000 properties, which is more than double the 1994 figures, Lightstone said. The type of housing ranges from shacks to multimillion-rand homes, among them a large portfolio of rentals.
Pam Golding data shows that a good proportion of buyers in Diepsloot Ext are older than 36 (41%) and mostly families looking to settle long term.
There is also an indication that seniors (older than 65) are buying in Diepkloof, many of whom lived elsewhere in Soweto, and can now afford to move into the area.
When they look to move to Soweto, they go to Diepkloof Ext. It is a highly sought-after area. People who are working in the Roodepoort area and Westonaria are also looking for property in Diepkloof Ext
Mothobi Mothopeng, Seeff agent in Soweto
'DK has easy access to amenities like the N1 Highway, access to the Southgate Mall, Maponya Mall, Gold Reef City Amusement Park, and Baragwanath Hospital, among others,' she said.
Seeff Soweto agent Mothobi Mothopeng, who has been working in the Soweto region for more than 15 years, is seeing buyers who are downgrading from Joburg's northern suburbs like Sandton and purchasers who previously lived in the southern suburbs.
'When they look to move to Soweto, they go to Diepkloof Ext. It is a highly sought-after area. People who are working in the Roodepoort area and Westonaria are also looking for property in Diepkloof Ext,' he said.
There is a shortage of housing stock, however. 'Sellers are in short supply, people don't want to sell there. I may sell one or two properties in a year, and I am well known in the area,' he said.
The limited number of properties on the market means DK Ext can cost more than those in southern suburbs like Winchester Hills and Ridgeway.
Mathopeng said the average price of a property in these suburbs is about R1.2m, whereas in Diepkloof Ext, that is the starting price. He said very few houses cost about R1.2m.
'One of the things that attracts buyers is DK Ext's road connections, unlike the old Diepsloot,' he said, which allow for easy access to schools and shopping centres like Southgate Mall. There are three primary schools and one high school in the vicinity, with several well-looked-after preschools. However, many residents choose to send their children to schools in the southern suburbs.
DK Ext residents have legal Eskom connections, unlike the illegal electricity problems of old Diepkloof. They are not affected by load rotation measures and service delivery protests generally do not affect them.
Rentals are also popular in the area but Mathopeng said there is a huge difference in type and price compared with broader Soweto. He said an open-plan one-room house with a bathroom, a kitchen and a fitted cupboard goes for about R4,500 a month.
'Town houses in the suburbs of Joburg are very expensive. People are no longer going to rent in towns; they are looking for rentals in Soweto. We are managing more than 200 rental properties.'
He is seeing increased interest in property in other areas of Soweto too, such as new developments in Protea.
Even older houses don't last long in the market as people are buying, developing and turning them into rentals.
'For example, an old property in Orlando, just one bedroom and an open kitchen and sitting room — those old two rooms, they are rotten with no wall paint and have shacks in the yard. You put that on sale for R500,000, it doesn't last a month, people are buying it now.'