The pinnacle of excellence in South African residential property was celebrated on 21 May as the Reside Awards 2026 named its winners at a prestigious ceremony held at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Residential Lifetime Achiever of the Year Platinum Award
Now in its fourth year, the RESID Awards have become the definitive benchmark for innovation, sustainability and leadership in the residential sector. The 2026 program reflected the growing maturity and diversity of the industry, recognizing outstanding achievements across an expanding range of categories from affordable housing and proptech innovation to luxury estates and industry leadership.
A night of unprecedented achievements
The evening celebrated a broad spectrum of excellence, with a number of outstanding projects and individuals earning top honours. Among the evening's most notable winners was Africrest, which received multiple platinum awards, including The Maestro: Mid-Market Multi-Family Residential Project of the Year for Africrest Properties and The Silo: Residential Interior Design Project of the Year for Africrest Residential.
Yethu City on Sisulu Street was named Affordable Multi-Family Residential Project of the Year (Platinum), demonstrating how underutilized urban spaces can be transformed into vibrant, connected communities that keep residents close to opportunity.
In the Luxury and Lifestyle categories, Ellipse Waterfall won the Luxury Multi-Family Residential Project of the Year (Platinum) award, while Zimbali Estate and Waterfall Equestrian Estate were named joint Platinum winners of the Lifestyle Estate of the Year category, recognizing their exceptional contribution to a large-scale, integrated living environment.
Excellence in Community Life
The Community Scheme of the Year Award recognized housing schemes that have demonstrated excellence in managing a large number of leading and complaint housing schemes. Platinum winner, George Rennie & Co was praised for its innovative operational management, setting a benchmark for the management of agents in South Africa.
Proptech and innovation take center stage
The 2026 awards emphasized technological innovation, with the PropTech Innovator of the Year categories highlighting locally developed solutions reshaping the property landscape.
Meta-Dology and Preferential were named joint platinum winners in the PropTech Innovator of the Year – Developer category. Meta-Dology was recognized for changing the way developments are understood long before construction begins, while Preferential earned the award for its AI screening and DepositPlus solution, which is transforming the residential rental experience for the South African market.
In the PropTech Innovator of the Year – Applications category, EXP Realty South Africa received a Silver Award for its innovative use of international technology to create an impactful local platform.
Leadership across the region
The evening also recognized individual excellence and company-wide impact. Keilan Ndlovu was named Residential Contributor of the Year – Individual (Platinum), while Meta-Dology and SAPIN (South African Property Investors Network) were announced as joint Platinum winners of the Residential Contributor of the Year – Company award.
Steve Brooks, CEO of Balwin Properties, received the evening's most prestigious honour, the Residential Lifetime Achiever Award, for his transformational contribution to residential development in South Africa and his role in redefining lifestyle-focused living on a large scale.
Debbie Tag, Chair of Reside Summit, commented: “The Reside Awards 2026 have once again demonstrated the extraordinary depth of talent and innovation within South Africa’s residential property sector. From groundbreaking social housing projects to world-class PropTech solutions, the winners are setting new benchmarks that will inspire the entire industry for years to come.”
Neale Peterson, editor-in-chief of Real Estate Investor and chair of the Reside Awards 2026, said: “This year's winners reflect a sector that is not only building homes but also shaping communities, driving economic growth, and adopting technology to solve real-world challenges. We're proud to celebrate these changemakers and look forward to seeing their continued impact.”
Heartfelt thanks to our sponsors
The Reside Awards 2026 would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors, who share our commitment to driving South Africa's residential property sector forward. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the South African Multifamily Residential Rental Association, Builders Warehouse, Lightstone, Private Student Housing Association, Community Schemes Ombud Service, Social Housing Regulatory Authority and the Southern African Home and Residential Alliance for their partnership and dedication.
Residential Contributor of the Year – Individual Platinum Award
Residential Contributor of the Year – Company Platinum Award
The full list of 2026 RESID Awards winners includes:
- Residential Contributor of the Year – Individual (Platinum): Killeen Ndlovu
- Residential Contributor of the Year – Company (Platinum – Joint Winner): Meta-Dology and Sapin
- Residential Contributor of the Year – Company (Gold): Prosperity Enterprises Investments (Pty) Ltd
- Residential Contributor of the Year – Company (Silver): Bright Light
- PropTech Innovator of the Year – Developer (Platinum – Joint Winner): Preferential (AI Screening and DepositPlus) and Meta-Dology
- PropTech Innovator of the Year – Developer (Gold): Modus 10, The Virtual Agent, FindHomes
- PropTech Innovator of the Year – Application (Silver): EXP Realty South Africa
- Residential Building Material/Product of the Year (Platinum): Uuka Eco-Bricks
- Affordable Multi-Family Residential Project (Platinum): Yethu City on Sisulu Street
- Affordable Multi-Family Residential Project (Gold): Prestige: Africrest Residential
- Affordable Multi-Family Residential Project (Silver): Denville Eco Estate, The Cube Residential Apartments – Maitland
- Affordable Single-Family Residential Project (Gold): Lethabong Lifestyle Estate
- First Home Finance Residential Project (Platinum): Global Dreams Projects
- First Home Finance Residential Project (Gold): New Generation Plants
- Social Housing Project (Platinum): Zuri Apartment
- Social Housing Project (Gold): Goodwood Station Social Housing Development, Ekhaya Gardens
- Breaking New Ground Residential Project (Platinum): Lethabong Lifestyle Estate
- Community Planning/Managing Agent of the Year (Platinum): George Rennie & Company
- Residential Interior Design Project of the Year (Platinum): Silo: Africrest Residential
- Mid-Market Multi-Family Residential Project (Platinum): King's Cross @ Castle Gate, The Maestro: Africrest Properties
- Mid-Market Multi-Family Residential Project (Gold): Herringbone – Diversity Urban Property Fund
- Mid-Market Multi-Family Residential Project (Silver): Seriti Estate
- Premium Multi-Family Residential Project (Silver): Whiscon – Balvin
- Luxury Multi-Family Residential Project (Platinum): Ellipse Waterfall
- Premium Single-Family Residential Project (Gold): Le Coste Lifestyle Estate
- Student Housing Residential Project (Platinum): ADOWA LIVING @ Ravenscraig House
- Student Housing Residential Project (Gold): Mpumelelo
- Student Housing Residential Project (Silver): Imam Haroon House, Dakalo Student Housing
- Lifestyle Estate of the Year (Platinum – Joint Winner): Zimbali Estate and Waterfall Equestrian Estate
- Lifestyle Estate of the Year (Gold): The Blyde Riverwalk Estate, Seaton Estate-Balwin, Clara Anna Fontaine
- Lifestyle Estate of the Year (Silver): Le Coste Lifestyle Estate, Avec la Terre, The Estate (Fresnay)
- Residential Property Management Company (Platinum): Preferred
- Residential Property Management Company (Gold): Afco Property Management (Pty) Ltd, Ithemba Property Management, Prosperity Enterprises Property Group (Pty) Ltd
- Residential Property Management Company (Silver): Pro Admin – Property Management Agency
- Residential Estate Agency of the Year – Large Agency (Platinum): Exp Realty South Africa
- Residential Estate Agency of the Year – Small Agency (Platinum): Nova Pearl Holdings (Pty) Ltd T/A Rawson Properties – The Orchards
- Property Businessman of the Year – Small Agency (Platinum): Nokuthula Mbatha
- Residential Lifetime Achiever: Steve Brooks, CEO – Balwin Properties.
About Live Summit
Launched in 2023, the Residential Investment and Development (Residence) Summit aims to bridge the gap between stakeholders in the public and private sector, construction firms, property developers, investors, financial institutions and industry bodies.