Middelburg

Middelburg is a small town roughly located in the North Western region of the Mpumalanga Province. This farming community and growing industrial hub is located less than 30 kilometres away from neighbouring Witbank and 140 kilometres away from Pretoria. Other notable towns within the vicinity include Secunda to the South, and Belfast to the East. Formerly known as Nasareth, the town was later renamed “Middelburg” in accordance with its geographical position between Pretoria and Lydenburg. The ongoing industrial activities of the area have contributed to steady Middelburg property price increases – fantastic news for speculators, vacationers and permanent residents alike!

What are the major attractions in Middelburg and what makes the town unique?

Middelburg is a haven for fishing and hosts a number of angling competitions every year, mostly at the Middelburg Dam. The local country club provides facilities for swimming, tennis, bowls, golf and more. The town also receives its fair share of visitors as it lies on one of the main routes into the world-famous “Kruger National Park”.

Other attractions around the town include the Second Boer War Memorial Museum, the exquisite Dutch Reformed Church as well as a number of well-serviced hiking trails which Middelburg property owners can indulge in. Middelburg is considered the steel capital of SA – that together with extensive coal mining activities, transport, agriculture, and tourism are dominant economic stimulators and revenue generators.

What is the Middelburg property market made up of?

Middelburg’s active property market offers a wide selection of property types from homes, to apartments, security estates, to vacant land as well as commercial and industrial options. Recent Lighthouse reports indicate that freehold or full-title properties comprise 87% of Middelburg’s property stock, while estates and sectional titles are 2% and 11%, respectively.

What do Middelburg properties sell for?

According to recent Lighthouse reports significant 1217 Middelburg property sales were concluded over the recent 12 months – 848 freehold, 323 sectional-title, and 46 estate transactions. These Middelburg properties can be further categorised in terms of selling prices, and we find 445 sales were under R400 000, 322 between R400 000 and R800 000, 384 between R800 000 and R1, 500 000, 63 between R1, 500 000 and R3, 000 000, and    3 above R3, 000 000.

Lighthouse growth and activity trends indicate a healthy and growing real estate sector in Middelburg. Both full-title and sectional-title Middelburg properties have been on a steady rise since 2008 making for great investments as well as “value for money” residential purchases. Currently full-title and sectional-title Middelburg property prices average at just over R600 000 and R840 000 respectively, in terms of these trends. Nearest town municipal values suggest the freehold figure is closer to R675 000, which is reasonably close to Emalahleni (Witbank) while nationally the average property value is on par with the likes of Vryheid in KZN.

Sectional schemes are indicated at over R800 000, and the average valuation is considered on par with that of Grahamstown in Eastern Cape.