Munyaka, Crystal Lagoons® latest signing in South Africa, has won the prestigious International Property Award, taking “Leisure Development South Africa 2020-2021.” The project is being developed together with leading property developers Balwin Properties.
The project has had a strong track record, selling over 10% of the units in just four days. Balwin Properties has described it as the “crown jewel” in its portfolio, and it is the nation’s second crystalline lagoon powered with Crystal Lagoons technology, after The Blyde, which also saw unprecedented commercial success.
During the launch, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, praised the project: “When I did my state of the nation address, I said I dreamt of a city like this one. Steve Brookes (founder and CEO at Balwin Properties) told me my dream would come true. Now I can see this, I am very proud as this project, it’s giving life to the South Africa we want, one that develops its economy through infrastructure. Now I see this project today, this is how you build great communities”.
Once completed, the water amenity at Munyaka is set to be the largest crystalline lagoon in the southern hemisphere, spanning approximately seven rugby fields.
Successful track record
Given the sales success of The Blyde, the developers’ first project anchored by a Crystal Lagoons amenity, the companies have an exclusivity agreement for five additional projects, each to be developed around these large bodies of pure turquoise water and white sand beaches. These will be built in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Mbombela, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape province.
“The launch of Munyaka resulted in Balwin breaking all sales records. We achieved over 807 sales in a month and around 600 were related to Munyaka, which will be home to the largest man-made crystalline lagoon in the southern hemisphere, to be powered by Crystal Lagoons technology,” stated Steve Brookes, Balwin Properties CEO and founder to prominent South African media outlet, Moneyweb earlier this year.
Public Access Lagoons™ expansion
Crystal Lagoons is also expected to expand across the continent, bringing its ground-breaking concept and technology to other African nations, and is advanced negotiations to close licensing agreements in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Angola and Egypt, among other nations.
The firm is also negotiating a regional master agreement, and is in talks with a local operator in Morocco, to develop 9 Public Access Lagoons™ in Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Fez and Saidia.
