Springbok and impala wander through the parkland at Steyn City, a private residential estate that’s four times the size of Monaco. Nearby, a rider cools down her horse after a morning out at an Olympic-sized equestrian arena, while golfers tee off on a Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
The enclave on the outskirts of Johannesburg — replete with a man-made lagoon, biking trails, restaurants and a school, and where homes are sold for as much as 50 million rand ($2.7 million) — illustrates the efforts of the wealthy to shield themselves from rampant crime and deteriorating infrastructure in the world’s most unequal country.
Despite a 20% decline in South Africa’s millionaire population over the past decade, it remains a hub for the continent’s high-net-worth individuals, according to the Henley & Partners’ Africa Wealth Report. Meanwhile, government data show that roughly half of the 63-million-strong population lives in poverty, relying on at least one monthly welfare payout.
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