Popular tourist and retirement destination Hartbeespoort in the North West Province has won Kwêla’s Dorp van die Jaar (Town of the Year) 2026 competition – making it two wins in a row for towns in the province after Bloemhof’s victory in 2025.
Hartbeespoort, which nestles along the Magaliesberg Mountains and the shores of the Hartbeespoort Dam, is also home to many commuters who travel to Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand and Johannesburg to work.
The award celebrates “small-town charm, community resilience, local hospitality and civic pride in towns in South Africa and Namibia with a population under 500 000”. Hartbeespoort beat Gansbaai (Western Cape), Secunda (Mpumalanga), Howick (KwaZulu-Natal), Hopetown (Northern Cape), Keimond/Kei Mouth (Eastern Cape), Bethlehem (Free State), Mokopane (Limpopo) and Gobabis (Namibia) to win this year’s award.
The town won a R1 million investment from Lottoland and another R1 million in airtime from kykNET. The Proudly Harties Organisation, quoted in the media, said the award “belonged to every person who took the time to vote, share our posts, encourage others, and proudly stand behind and believe in our beautiful town. This is a victory for our businesses, our tourism industry, our residents, and everyone who calls Harties home.”
Housing in “Harties”
The vast majority (85%) of homes in Hartbeespoort and neighbouring areas are valued at R1.5 million or more, with 25% valued at more than R3 million and a smaller percentage at over R6 million.
Housing stock in the Hartbeespoort area
“Hartbeespoort has grown steadily in recent years, with just over half of its property stock registered between 2000 and 2025. Most of the new stock is located in estates, including well-known developments such as Leloko Lifestyle Estate, Xanadu Eco Estate, Pecanwood Estate and The Islands Estate,” says Esteani Marx, Business Development Executive at Lightstone Property.
“These estates offer attractive options for both primary and secondary residences, with luxury waterfront or mountainside settings, secure, eco-friendly environments and easy access to championship golf courses.”
Housing stock by property type
Who lives there?
Hartbeespoort is a popular holiday and weekend destination, particularly for people in Gauteng, while many others live in the area and commute to nearby cities. The spread of homeowners’ ages and the value of their properties help tell the story.
Home ownership in Hartbeespoort increases with age (see graph below), and peaks in the 40-45 age band at 16% of all properties owned. Most are in the R1.5 million – R3 million price band, followed by homes valued between R3 million and R6 million. While volumes drop from this point, the price band pattern plays out as homeowners get older.
Those older than 55 make up around 38% of all homeowners, and those aged 55-65 own the most homes valued at more than R6 million.
Hartbeespoort: age of homeowners and price bands
A popular weekend getaway
Hartbeespoort and the surrounding area have been popular with tourists for years, with Hartbeespoort Dam, the Magaliesberg Mountains and the Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway attracting boaters, hikers and Gautengers who want to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature close to home. There are also many animal sanctuaries in the vicinity, and numerous restaurants to suit many tastes.
The graph below, based on Tracker telemetry data, shows the inflow of vehicles over weekends in November 2025, followed by a surge in visitors throughout the second half of December 2025.
Inflow into the Hartbeespoort area
Based on its analysis of Tracker telemetry data for November and December 2025, Lightstone estimates that there were four cars visiting the area for every one ‘resident’ car. Most – around 85% – of the visitors come from Gauteng and areas adjacent to Hartbeespoort, with Tshwane and Johannesburg accounting for 65%.
Where do visitors come from?
Who owns the stock?
Of the 7 600 natural persons who own a property in Hartbeespoort, half also own a property elsewhere, and most of them own in Madibeng, Tshwane and Johannesburg.
Who owns the stock
50% of Natural Persons own at least one other property
Additional content sourced from Daily Investor and NewsDay.
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