Villa SC

A masterwork composed for the golden hour: five en-suite suites, wraparound balconies and a heated rim flow pool facing the sunset over Steyn City.

Every evening in Johannesburg's new north, the highveld sun sinks behind two thousand acres of planted parkland and, for a few minutes, the whole of Steyn City turns to gold. This residence was conceived for precisely that moment, composed so that its wraparound balconies, rim flow pool and boma fire circle all face the spectacle.

Inside, a double volume hall opens onto a curved sweep of marble staircase, and three fireplaces warm different corners of the house. Water moves everywhere, fountains circling the house, the heated infinity edge spilling toward the view. En-suite bedroom suites open onto the balconies that ring the residence, 1,007 square metres under roof on a 1,259 square metre stand within one of the world's most complete lifestyle estates.

Walls of stacking glass dissolve the living rooms into a covered terrace with automated blinds and a built-in gas braai. Beyond it, a separate charcoal braai with its boma fireplace, and the heated rim flow infinity pool holding the last of the light.

A bespoke kitchen and scullery serve the entertaining spaces, fully integrated appliances arranged around a large centre island in lit marble.

The kitchen is open plan to the dining room, formal lounge and TV room. The lower level carries a wine cellar with generous storage, a theatre room with bar, a gym with a stone shower suite, a home office with a private entrance, and an au pair or PA room.

When Nelson Mandela walked free in 1990, it was Douw Steyn who gave him a home, the Sandhurst residence where he worked on Long Walk to Freedom, later reborn as the Saxon Hotel. Steyn's final act of confidence in his country was grander still: a twelve billion rand city within a city, where indigenous woodland, waterways and land art will always cover more ground than homes.

A decade on, his legacy estate ranks among the top ten lifestyle estates in the world: an 18 hole Jack Nicklaus Design championship golf course, home to South Africa's inaugural LIV Golf event, a 300 metre crystal lagoon with its own beaches, forty five kilometres of floodlit promenade, an equestrian centre, a heliport, multiple gym facilities, outdoor play areas and sports facilities, a private school from early years to matric, and the Steyn City Hotel by Saxon with its spa, with the estate's own retail shops and restaurants inside the perimeter.

Two thousand acres of parkland: an 18 hole Jack Nicklaus Design championship golf course, home to South Africa's inaugural LIV Golf event, a 300 metre lagoon with beaches, forty five kilometres of floodlit promenade, an equestrian centre, a private school and the Steyn City Hotel by Saxon.