Stats SA’s 10-year review of new buildings in the private sector between 2014 and 2023 shows that the City of Cape Town led in new residential units with 96 725 completions of mainly freestanding homes and apartments.

The City of Johannesburg saw the most townhouses built at 20 899 units, the City of Tshwane followed with the second highest numbers of apartments (13 522) and townhouses (16 207) while Buffalo City had 85% of its new residential units as freestanding homes.

Nelson Mandela Bay and Ekurhuleni largely focused on freestanding homes during the years, indicating a development preference for building out rather than up.

The City of Johannesburg had a near even split between townhouses and freestanding homes, with townhouses being significant in Mangaung and the City of Tshwane.

Apartments were a minor share (1%) of Johannesburg’s new builds but made up 40% in both the City of Cape Town and eThekwini.

Cape Town shifted gradually from freestanding homes towards more apartments, whereas Johannesburg saw a townhouse boom around 2019. Tshwane showed a balanced mix of housing types in 2018 and 2019 while Ekurhuleni’s development throughout the decade favoured freestanding dwellings.