There will be no “for sale’’ boards erected at Pollsmoor or Leeuwkop prisons — situated in two upmarket suburbs — any time soon.
Last year‚ it emerged that the Department of Correctional Services had asked the Department of Public Works to undertake a feasibility study on the ‘’possible disposal of the two facilities’’.
It sparked excitement among nearby residents and there was widespread speculation about who would profit from the sale of the properties situated on prime land.
Pollsmoor‚ which is regarded as one of the most notorious prisons in the country‚ is in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai and Leeuwkop is in the Johannesburg suburb of Bryanston.
But the inmates are going nowhere.
“Pollsmoor and Leeuwkop correctional facilities will not be sold. A feasibility study was conducted by the Department of Public Works to inform the best and highest use of the said facilities‚” Correctional Services spokesman Logan Maistry said.
“The purpose of the feasibility study was to arrive at the most appropriate decision‚ and was not intended for public consumption.”
Pollsmoor is close to the oldest wine estate in South Africa‚ Groot Constantia‚ which was established more than 300 years ago. But it is also neighbour to some of the most exclusive estates in the country.
A five-bedroom mansion in Silverhurst Estate is currently for sale for R33.5-million.
James Lewis‚ Seeff Properties southern suburbs manager‚ said the entry-level price for a home at Steenberg Golf Estate was about R11-million.
“The demand for property across the top-end areas of the southern suburbs — especially in the Constantia‚ Tokai and Steenberg areas which is in the vicinity where Pollsmoor is located — has been at a five-year high over the last year. This means land here is now valued at a significant premium and given that the location of Pollsmoor is prime‚ there is no doubt that should it become available for sale on the open market‚ it will be a very attractive investment for development‚’’ said Lewis.
According to the department’s website‚ Leeuwkop was known as Rietfontein Farm. In August 1890‚ then president Paul Kruger awarded Leeuwkop to what was known as the Department of Prisons and Reformatories. The first prisoners were admitted on March 14‚ 1924.
Properties in Bryanston fetch millions of rands. On the market currently is a five-bedroom home with a ‘’pyjama lounge’’ and koi pond for R17‚9-million.
Pollsmoor prison not being primed for purchase
There will be no “for sale’’ boards erected at Pollsmoor or Leeuwkop prisons — situated in two upmarket suburbs — any time soon.
Last year‚ it emerged that the Department of Correctional Services had asked the Department of Public Works to undertake a feasibility study on the ‘’possible disposal of the two facilities’’.
It sparked excitement among nearby residents and there was widespread speculation about who would profit from the sale of the properties situated on prime land.
Pollsmoor‚ which is regarded as one of the most notorious prisons in the country‚ is in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai and Leeuwkop is in the Johannesburg suburb of Bryanston.
But the inmates are going nowhere.
“Pollsmoor and Leeuwkop correctional facilities will not be sold. A feasibility study was conducted by the Department of Public Works to inform the best and highest use of the said facilities‚” Correctional Services spokesman Logan Maistry said.
“The purpose of the feasibility study was to arrive at the most appropriate decision‚ and was not intended for public consumption.”
Pollsmoor is close to the oldest wine estate in South Africa‚ Groot Constantia‚ which was established more than 300 years ago. But it is also neighbour to some of the most exclusive estates in the country.
A five-bedroom mansion in Silverhurst Estate is currently for sale for R33.5-million.
James Lewis‚ Seeff Properties southern suburbs manager‚ said the entry-level price for a home at Steenberg Golf Estate was about R11-million.
“The demand for property across the top-end areas of the southern suburbs — especially in the Constantia‚ Tokai and Steenberg areas which is in the vicinity where Pollsmoor is located — has been at a five-year high over the last year. This means land here is now valued at a significant premium and given that the location of Pollsmoor is prime‚ there is no doubt that should it become available for sale on the open market‚ it will be a very attractive investment for development‚’’ said Lewis.
According to the department’s website‚ Leeuwkop was known as Rietfontein Farm. In August 1890‚ then president Paul Kruger awarded Leeuwkop to what was known as the Department of Prisons and Reformatories. The first prisoners were admitted on March 14‚ 1924.
Properties in Bryanston fetch millions of rands. On the market currently is a five-bedroom home with a ‘’pyjama lounge’’ and koi pond for R17‚9-million.
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