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Carlton Centre among 15 major properties in Transnet disposal drive
Transnet has put Johannesburg’s iconic Carlton Centre and 14 other commercial properties on the disposal list, opening the latest chapter in the long and troubled history of the 50-storey landmark.
The state-owned logistics company has identified the properties as non-core assets as it attempts to raise cash, cut the cost of maintaining surplus property and refocus on its main business of rail, ports and pipelines. The move is part of a much bigger property disposal programme involving thousands of assets across the country.
The Carlton Centre is not being sold immediately to the private sector. Under the process published in the Government Gazette on August 24, national and provincial government departments, municipalities, state-owned companies and other public entities have 30 days to express an interest in acquiring, leasing or otherwise taking transfer of the properties for public-sector purposes.
Only if there is no qualifying public-sector interest will Transnet issue a public request for proposals to the private market.
Why is Transnet selling?
The answer, according to Transnet, is straightforward: these properties are not central to its logistics mandate, while owning them comes with significant costs.
The company has identified about 3,700 non-core properties for eventual disposal. These include residential properties, hostels, lodges, vacant land and commercial assets.
The objective is to unlock value while reducing expenses such as rates, utilities, maintenance and other holding costs.
Transnet Property CEO Kapei Phahlamohlaka explained the thinking behind the strategy in 2024, saying: “We have identified properties that have no value to us but can have value to other people because we want to build a proper portfolio.”
He also made clear that the disposal programme was being driven by the company’s financial circumstances.
“We are disposing of some commercial properties, not because we do not like them, but because we need cash flow,” he said.
The urgency comes against the backdrop of Transnet’s financial difficulties and the substantial government support it has received. Business Day reported that the company had received guarantees totalling R94.8 billion over the preceding 18 months to help meet its debt obligations.
The Carlton Centre’s extraordinary history
The Carlton Centre is no ordinary property.
Standing 223 metres high, the 50-storey tower was completed in the early 1970s and became a symbol of Johannesburg’s economic power. It was Africa’s tallest building for decades and formed part of a huge mixed-use development incorporating offices, retail space and the luxury Carlton Hotel.
The Carlton Hotel became one of Johannesburg’s most famous addresses, attracting politicians, celebrities and international visitors. But as the Johannesburg CBD deteriorated, the fortunes of the complex changed dramatically.
The hotel was mothballed in 1997, while the CBD experienced rising vacancy rates, crime, building deterioration and an exodus of businesses to newer commercial districts.
Transnet bought the Carlton Centre from Anglo American in 1999 for R33 million and subsequently used it as its headquarters.
But that relationship eventually changed.
From headquarters to headache
In 2018, Transnet moved its staff out of the Carlton Centre to make way for a planned revamp. The redevelopment did not materialise as envisaged, however, leaving Transnet with a massive property requiring investment while the organisation itself was under increasing financial pressure.
Then came another attempt to find a buyer.
In 2023, Transnet put the Carlton Centre on the market with an expected value of about R900 million. But the process ultimately failed after bidders were unable to demonstrate that they had the money to complete the transaction. Transnet’s own 2024 financial statements recorded that it had been unable to find a suitable bidder and was considering a new strategy.
Phahlamohlaka was blunt about what happened.
“We had people promising the world, but when we said, ‘show us what you have’, they had nothing,” he said.
“Some of them do not have experience in property development. Their bids fell off.”
One prospective bidder wanted to operate the building in partnership with Transnet.
But that was not what the company was looking for.
“We went to the market not to do a partnership, but a disposal,” Phahlamohlaka said. “We then had to let the bid die.”
Transnet once wanted to save it
The failed sale did not immediately mean the end of the Carlton Centre.
In 2024, Transnet said it would instead refurbish the landmark, revive its retail offering and investigate converting the mothballed hotel into residential or affordable housing units.
The company also planned to bring new retail tenants into the complex.
Phahlamohlaka acknowledged the emotional attachment to the building but pointed to the brutal economics involved.
“Carlton Centre has a lot of sentimental value to many people,” he said.
“Everyone thinks they can participate, but when they look at the costs — not only the cost of buying, but the cost of refurbishing once they buy — it becomes a challenge.”
That dilemma remains at the heart of the building’s future: the Carlton Centre has enormous historical and commercial potential, but unlocking that potential requires substantial capital.
What’s actually on the chopping block?
The Carlton Centre is the most recognisable property on the list, but it is far from the only one.
The 15 properties include the Bloemfontein Golf Course and Club House, Avion Park Golf Course in Ekurhuleni, Umlazi Mall Megacity, Mount Frere Shopping Centre, Oribi Plaza in Port Shepstone, the Durban Station Precinct and Messina Superspar.
Other substantial properties include land and development sites in Cape Town and the Eastern Cape.
Among them are the Kenridge/Willow Bridge property in Tyger Valley, the Bellville Marshalling Yard, the Roggebaai Locality Plan in Cape Town, large portions of land in Humewood and Arcadia Park in Buffalo City.
The portfolio therefore stretches well beyond traditional railway infrastructure. It reflects decades in which Transnet and its predecessors accumulated land, housing, offices, commercial buildings and other assets around the country’s transport network.
The first buyer could still be government
Despite the headlines about a sale, members of the public should not assume that the Carlton Centre will immediately become privately owned.
The first stage is effectively an intergovernmental process.
Public entities have 30 days from the publication of the notice to submit formal expressions of interest. They must indicate what they intend to use the property for and provide confirmation of budgetary provision or funding availability.
If nobody qualifies or expresses formal interest during that period, Transnet will proceed with an open-market RFP for private-sector buyers.
A much bigger property clean-out
The 15 properties announced this week are only a fraction of Transnet’s wider property strategy.
The company has identified approximately 3,700 non-core properties for disposal, with the programme also covering residential houses, hostels, lodges, line camps and vacant land.
Phahlamohlaka previously described some of these properties as expensive burdens rather than productive assets.
“We are just giving hostels away. They are costly for us to keep,” he said, explaining that disposing of them could save Transnet money on “maintenance, rates and taxes, and … water and electricity”.
The company has also been selling residential properties and other non-commercial holdings, including through auctions, as part of its broader attempt to improve its financial position.
What happens to the Carlton Centre now?
For now, the building remains firmly in Transnet’s hands.
But after nearly two decades of attempted sales, redevelopment proposals and changing plans, the latest announcement suggests the state-owned company has once again decided that owning the iconic tower is no longer compatible with its core business strategy.
The irony is hard to miss.
The Carlton Centre was once a monument to Johannesburg’s economic might. It became Transnet’s headquarters, then an asset earmarked for redevelopment, then a property put up for sale, then a building Transnet planned to revive.
Now it is back on the market.
And this time, Transnet’s message is less about nostalgia and more about balance sheets, cash flow and the cost of holding on.
As Phahlamohlaka put it in 2023: “Do we have the capability and the financial muscle to reinvest into Carlton Centre? The answer is no.”
That may ultimately be the most important sentence in the Carlton Centre’s latest chapter.
Economy
Kimberley’s Benjie makes history with MasterChef SA win and R1 million prize
Andrew “Benjie” Benjamin has cooked his way into South African television history after being crowned the winner of MasterChef South Africa Season 6.
The 40-year-old home cook from Kimberley in the Northern Cape beat Durban finalist Candice Meth in the tense finale on Sunday, 16 August, walking away with the coveted title and a R1 million cash prize. His victory also made him the first contestant from the Northern Cape to win the competition.
For Benjie, the achievement was about far more than winning a reality television competition.
“I thought I wouldn’t even make it past episode two,” he admitted, crediting his wife for encouraging him to remain in the competition and take it “one episode at a time”.
He said the victory was particularly meaningful because of what it could represent for his family and people from his home province.
“There was a time when I thought that I wouldn’t make it even past episode two,” Benjamin said. “My wife encouraged me to stay on there.”
From high-voltage lines to the MasterChef kitchen
Benjie’s journey is unusual because cooking is not his full-time profession.
The Kimberley-born contestant works in high-voltage electrical line maintenance, dealing with hazardous electricity transmission lines, while cooking has remained a passion outside his day job.
He entered the competition alongside 19 other home cooks and quickly established himself as one of the contestants to watch.
Benjie earned his first Dish of the Day in only the second episode and went on to win seven challenges before reaching the final. One of those victories gave him a valuable 10-minute advantage for the final cook.
Throughout the competition, judges and fellow contestants affectionately nicknamed him “Benjie Baby”.
His playful approach to food also became part of his identity on the show. One of his standout creations was a sophisticated take on two-minute noodles, which he transformed into “Crêpes Suzette Benjette”.
Judge Chef Katlego Mlambo reportedly named it her favourite Benjie dish of the season, while a lamb pie also impressed London-based guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi.
A high-pressure finale
The final challenge saw Benjie go head-to-head with 39-year-old Candice Meth in a two-hour cook-off.
The finalists were tasked with creating a three-course meal that reflected their journeys throughout the competition.
Benjie prepared pan-fried salmon with leeks and white wine sauce as his starter, followed by pork belly with fennel and apple purées, mushy peas and red wine jus.
For dessert, he served meringue, vanilla sponge cake, raspberry coulis, chocolate crème pâtissière and vanilla ice cream.
The pressure was intense, particularly when his decision to bake the apples to intensify their flavour cost him precious time.
But he managed to complete his menu before the clock ran out.
Judges impressed by his final menu
Benjie had already been regarded as a strong contender, but his final performance ultimately convinced the judges that he deserved the title.
Ahead of the final cook, judge Justine Drake described him as a “dark horse”, while Zola Nene called him “laser-focused”.
His final dishes continued to impress.
The judges praised the execution of his salmon, while his pork belly stood out for its balance of flavours.
Nene went as far as describing the main course as something that could be seen “in a fine-dining restaurant”.
That combination of technical ability, creativity and composure ultimately gave Benjie the edge over Meth.
A victory for the Northern Cape
Benjie’s win has also become a source of pride for the Northern Cape, shining a spotlight on the province’s food traditions and homegrown culinary talent.
The new champion hopes his journey will encourage other people from the province to believe in their own abilities.
“We can make great food and compete with the best in the rest of the country,” he said.
He pointed to the diversity of the province, mentioning communities including Roodepan, Springbok, De Aar, Kuruman and the Kalahari as places with their own flavours and cooking traditions.
“Hopefully, my journey gives people the confidence to express themselves in the kitchen, too,” he said.
What’s next for Benjie?
Despite winning R1 million and becoming South Africa’s newest MasterChef, Benjie is not rushing to abandon his career.
He has said he still loves his day job and believes there is room for both his electrical work and his passion for cooking.
“I still love my day job, but there’s a place for both the job and cooking in my life,” he said.
As for his prize money, Benjie has more grounded plans. He wants to make renovations at home and spoil the family members who supported him throughout his journey.
He has also hinted at exploring his love for noodles further, with the possibility of a cookbook centred on the versatile ingredient.
For now, however, Benjie Baby can savour a remarkable achievement – a home cook from Kimberley has conquered one of South Africa’s biggest culinary competitions and brought the MasterChef crown to the Northern Cape for the first time.
MasterChef SA Season 6 in context
The sixth season of MasterChef South Africa premiered in February 2026 and concluded on 16 August after 26 episodes. The competition is built around amateur cooks competing in a series of culinary challenges, with contestants judged on their technical skills, creativity and ability to perform under pressure.
Benjie’s victory therefore represents the culmination of months of competition – and a major milestone for a contestant who entered the kitchen as a passionate home cook and left as South Africa’s latest MasterChef champion.
