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Top 10 Tallest Buildings in South Africa

A snapshot of the ten tallest buildings in South Africa.

Updated on

December 30, 2025

The Leonardo skyscraper, South Africa’s tallest building, rising above Sandton’s skyline in Johannesburg. — Leonardo is the tallest building in South Africa. (Photo: Courtesy)

South Africa’s skyline is a striking mix of modern skyscrapers and historic architecture, reflecting the country’s economic growth and urban development over the decades.

From bustling Johannesburg to the coastal hubs of Cape Town and Durban, towering skyscrapers stand as landmarks of engineering achievement and urban ambition.

Here are the top 10 tallest buildings in South Africa:

1. Leonardo, Sandton

Leonardo is a 234-metre-tall, 56-storey mixed-use development located at 75 Maude Street, just 100 metres from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in Sandton, South Africa.

Designed by South African firm Co-Arc International Architects, its sleek, modernist style and glass façades make it a standout feature of Sandton’s skyline.

Construction began on 17 November 2015, and the tower topped out in April 2019, officially claiming the title of South Africa’s tallest building, surpassing the Carlton Centre.

2. Carlton Centre, Johannesburg

At 223 metres and 50 floors, Carlton Centre is South Africa’s second tallest building, located at 150 Commissioner Street in Johannesburg’s central business district.

Designed by Cameron, Chisholm & Nicol, the tower features a modernist style with clean lines and extensive glazing, typical of mid-20th-century skyscraper design.

Carlton Centre, a landmark skyscraper in Johannesburg’s central business district, South Africa. — Carlton Centre. (Photo: Courtesy)

Completed in 1973, Carlton Centre was once Africa’s tallest building. It still houses offices, retail space and the Carlton Hotel, remaining a key landmark on Johannesburg’s skyline.

3. Ponte City Apartments, Johannesburg

Ponte City Apartments, located in Johannesburg’s Hillbrow district, stands 173 metres tall with 54 floors. It is one of the city’s most iconic and unconventional skyscrapers.

Designed by Mannie Feldman, Manfred Hermer and Rodney Grosskopff, the cylindrical tower features a hollow central core that provides natural light and ventilation.

RELATED: 10 Tallest Buildings in Africa

Completed in 1975, Ponte City has become a powerful architectural and cultural symbol of Johannesburg’s evolving urban landscape.

Ponte City Apartments, the cylindrical residential skyscraper in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa. — Ponte City Apartments. (Photo: Courtesy)

4. Marble Towers, Johannesburg

Marble Towers rises 152 metres over 40 floors at the corner of Jeppe Street and Von Wielligh Street in Johannesburg’s central business district.

Designed in a modernist style, the tower, completed in 1973, was originally intended as an upmarket office development and remains a notable feature of Johannesburg’s skyline.

Marble Towers, a high-rise office building in Johannesburg’s central business district, South Africa. — Marble Towers. (Photo: Courtesy)

5. Pearl Dawn, Durban

Pearl Dawn is a 152-metre, 31-storey residential skyscraper in the Umhlanga Rocks area of Durban. Completed in 2010, it forms part of The Pearls of Umhlanga complex.

Designed by Seedat & Seedat Architects, Pearl Dawn—the tallest building in Durban—features a futuristic style and offers panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and the surrounding cityscape.

Pearl Dawn, a residential skyscraper in Umhlanga, north of Durban, South Africa. — Pearl Dawn. (Photo: Courtesy)

6. Radio Park Building, Johannesburg

Radio Park Building is a 151‑metre, 33‑storey office skyscraper located at 35 Henley Road in the Auckland Park suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Also known as the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Building, it serves as the headquarters of the SABC and was completed in 1975.

With its modernist design and prominent height, Radio Park is one of Johannesburg’s notable high‑rise landmarks.

Radio Park Building, the headquarters of South African Broadcasting Corporation in Johannesburg, South Africa. — Radio Park Building. (Photo: Courtesy)

7. South African Reserve Bank Building, Pretoria

The South African Reserve Bank Building rises 150 metres with 38 floors, making it the tallest skyscraper in Pretoria and one of South Africa’s most prominent towers outside Johannesburg.

Construction of the modern office tower, which houses the country’s central bank headquarters, began in 1986 and was completed in 1988.

The building’s sleek glass façade and commanding height make it a key feature of the Tshwane central business district skyline.

South African Reserve Bank Building, a major office tower in Pretoria, South Africa. — South African Reserve Bank Building. (Photo: Courtesy)

8. 88 on Field, Durban

88 on Field is a 146.5‑metre, 26‑storey commercial skyscraper located on Field Street in Durban. Completed in 1985, it was formerly known as the Southern Life Building.

Designed by Murphy/Jahn Architects in collaboration with Stauch Vorster Architects, the tower was Durban’s tallest building for decades, and remains a key feature of the city’s skyline.

88 on Field, a commercial skyscraper in Durban’s central business district, South Africa. — 88 on Field. (Photo: Courtesy)

9. Sandton City Office Tower, Sandton

Sandton City Office Tower is a 141‑metre, 22‑storey commercial skyscraper located at the corner of 5th Street and Rivonia Road in Sandton, part of the larger Sandton City complex.

Completed in 1973, the modernist office tower was one of the first high‑rises in Sandton’s business district and marked the area’s rise as a major commercial hub.

It remains a recognisable feature of Sandton’s skyline.

Sandton City Office Tower, a high-rise office building in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. — Sandton City Office Tower. (Photo: Courtesy)

10. Tied 10th tallest (140 metres)

Four buildings are all tied as the 10th tallest in South Africa.

10. KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1, Johannesburg
10. Trust Bank Building, Johannesburg
10. Michelangelo Towers, Sandton
10. ABSA Tower, Johannesburg

KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1, Johannesburg

Formerly known as the Johannesburg Sun and Towers Hotel, KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1 is a 140‑metre, 40‑storey skyscraper in Johannesburg’s central business district.

Completed in the early 1970s, it once tied with the Trust Bank Building as the tallest building in Africa. It has stood largely unused since 1998 due to lack of guests and business.

However, it remains a key landmark of Johannesburg’s skyline.

KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1, a high-rise hotel tower in Johannesburg’s central business district, South Africa. — KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel Tower 1. (Photo: Courtesy)

Trust Bank Building, Johannesburg

Trust Bank Building is a 140‑metre, 31‑storey office skyscraper in Johannesburg. Completed in 1970, it was briefly Africa’s tallest building before being surpassed by the Carlton Centre.

Originally serving as the head office of Trust Bank of South Africa and housing one of the country’s largest vaults, the tower remains an iconic feature of Johannesburg’s skyline.

Trust Bank Building, a historic high-rise office tower in Johannesburg, South Africa. — Trust Bank Building. (Photo: Courtesy)

Michelangelo Towers, Sandton

Michelangelo Towers is a 140‑metre, 34‑storey luxury skyscraper in Sandton, part of Johannesburg’s financial hub, offering high‑end residential suites and panoramic city views.

Completed in 2005, the building was designed by Bentel Associates International and features a blend of modern and classical influences, with sandstone finishes and elegant arches.

Michelangelo Towers, a luxury high-rise building in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. — Michelangelo Towers. (Photo: Courtesy)

ABSA Tower, Johannesburg

ABSA Tower (also known as the Amalgamated Banks of South Africa Tower) is a 140‑metre, 31‑storey office skyscraper in Johannesburg’s central business district.

Completed in 1970, it serves as the headquarters of Absa Group and has been a key part of Johannesburg’s skyline. It remains one of the city’s tallest and most recognisable high‑rises.