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Opinion
/ 22 November 2024


WATERFALL CITY FOUNDED ON ISLAMIC LAW

By Ash Müller
Facebook X Email LinkedIn WhatsApp
Religious roots: The Waterfall City development is still owned by the Waterfall
Islamic Institute and is leased under a 99-year lease agreement consistent with
Islamic law. Photo: Franz Rabe/naturalphoto.co.za

Waterfall City is one of the largest property developments in South Africa,
housing thousands of people and various real estate projects. But few people
know about the rich history that lies beneath the surface of this city. Its
innovative leasing system is a first for the South African real estate market.

In 1850, Waterval was established as a farm of 3  400 hectares. Peter McDonald,
a land surveyor, named this farm Waterval after the small waterfall found there.
Johann FB Rissik, the surveyor general at the time, signed off Peter’s land
survey plan and the farm was registered in 1888. As was done back then, Paul
Kruger, the president of the South African Republic, signed the original title
deed in 1889. 

When looking back at the history of Johannesburg, we know that gold was first
discovered in 1884 and some was found near the Jukskei River that ran through
Waterval farm, so people assumed gold was everywhere. It was in 1886 that the
main gold reef was found at Randjeslaagte, today’s central Johannesburg.

Where Waterval farm was is now Midrand, situated between Pretoria and
Johannesburg, and on it is the expansive, multibillion-rand Waterfall City
development. 

The first owner of this land was a Miss Pimond. She sold the farm to the Gibson
brothers, who arrived in South Africa from Britain circa 1871. They were the
first title-deed owners of this farm. Their main line of work was operating a
Red Star Line stagecoach business. 

The Gibson brothers had ox wagons and bred cattle on the farm for their
transport business. They created a pit stop between Johannesburg and Pretoria
and aptly named it Halfway House — the same name used today. 

In 1934, Moosa Ismail Mia purchased the farm from the deceased estate of John
Alexander Gibson for £16  000. Mia was born in India in 1876 and moved to the
Transvaal in 1904. He registered the development under Witwatersrand Estates
Limited, a company established to navigate the Union of South Africa’s land
ownership restrictions. Many will be familiar with this farm’s nickname — “Mia’s
farm”. 

Mia and his four sons, Mohamed, Ahmed, Mahmood and Yusuf, built a school (the
Waterval Islamic Institute), hostels, homes for the Mia family members, and a
small mosque on this farm. 

The institute was established in 1940 and was one of the first formal Muslim
educational institutions in the Transvaal. It produced prominent scholars, ran
its own printing press known as “The Shed,” and is well known for its strong
role in institutionalising Islam in South Africa. 

The Mia family used this land as a working farm. They bred cattle and sheep, and
they grew crops such as maize. It was only in 1985 that they considered
developing this excellently located, valuable piece of land.

Werner van Rhyn was the brainchild with a vision for the mixed-use Waterfall
City. He approached the Mia family and a partnership was born. The Mia Family
and real estate investment trust Attacq got to work. 

Planning for the Waterfall City precinct began in 1996. Other property companies
such as Balwin Properties have subsequently added value to the area. 

This city-within-a-city, along with its beautifully maintained roads and
manicured gardens, has attracted huge investment over the past few years. It is
home to multiple residential, retail and commercial developments, including
hospitals, hotels, corporate headquarters such as PwC, and one of the largest
shopping centres in South Africa — the Mall of Africa. 

Many schools are setting up in the area. These include Curro Castle, Reddam,
Reddam House Waterfall Early Learning School, Curro Waterfall Primary School,
Reddam House Preparatory School, Curro Waterfall High School, Reddam House
College and Stadio School of Education.

This development is still owned by Waterfall Islamic Institute (WIC), founded by
the Mia family. The WIC is a 22% shareholder in Atterbury Investment Holdings. 

Today, the farm has reduced in size to 2  200 hectares after the government
expropriated some of it. Parts of the farm were divided into smaller sections to
accommodate the development of Eskom’s Megawatt Park, the Buccleuch Interchange
and the Allandale Interchange. 

Because of the Islamic faith of the Mia family, this specific piece of land
cannot be sold or transferred. It’s known in Islamic law as a waqf. A waqf, or
Islamic endowment, is an asset dedicated by Allah to assist the poor and needy.
This includes buildings or land donated for charitable purposes, with no
intention of reclaiming the assets. 

With the above being said, this land can be leased. The profits from the leases
must be used for public good, such as for charities and community initiatives.

All properties in the Waterfall City precinct are under leasehold ownership.
Balwin Properties’ Munyaka development, valued at more than R10  billion with a
planned 5  020 apartments, will also follow the unique lease ownership
structure. 

This structure consists of 99-year leasehold agreements. As a buyer of an
apartment, you will enter into a long-term 99-year lease with the Islamic Trust,
the landowner.

The lease agreements are registered at the deeds office, and they are renewable
after the 99-year period with an infinite number of extensions. 

Lessees are allowed to finance their lease agreements through banks.
Interestingly, bank financing for these leases was a groundbreaking deal upon
the inception of the Waterfall City project. 

You can sell your property at any time during the 99-year lease, and the new
owner will receive a new 99-year lease. 

Furthermore, the lease cannot be cancelled.

Here’s what is interesting about the Munyaka development. When you sell your
apartment, you would pay an agent commission (which they have capped at 5%). You
will also be liable to pay 3% plus VAT of the total sales price to the Islamic
Trust.

If your 99-year lease period expires, you can renew your lease agreement with
the Islamic Trust and pay it 3% plus VAT and 0.5% to the residents association
based on the current market value of your apartment. 

In the event of death or divorce, the Islamic Trust does not require you to pay
the 3.5% plus VAT. And if you inherit the apartment after someone’s death, you
can continue ownership for the remainder of the 99-year lease without paying the
3.5% plus VAT.

This means that during any of the above, there will be no transfer duties
applicable at any stage — unless the law changes. Transfer fees can be
exorbitant, so this is appealing to investors. 

Perhaps the player at a disadvantage in this situation is the South African
Revenue Service. Because no transfer fees have ever been (or will ever be) paid,
will they not miss out on substantial transfer duty revenues for many years to
come?

More importantly, getting banks to fund these projects with leases and having
title deeds issued could change the game for unlocking the potential of
homelands and areas under traditional ownership in South Africa. Banks treat
these lease agreements as bondable assets, and that is great. 

This also has the potential to be a viable model for land owned by state-owned
enterprises such as Prasa. This entity is mandated to capture the value of land
to subsidise transport operations. Instead of selling the land and losing out on
future gains, why not implement a lease structure similar to Waterfall City’s? 

The same goes for sporting facilities such as stadiums. There could be an
opportunity to develop surrounding land, thus ensuring long-term revenue for the
sport and sporting facilities that are costly to maintain every month. 

One final thought when it comes to Islamic landlords and a waqf. Islamic
landlords must adhere to the conditions of the religious endowment. Violating
these conditions includes businesses that sell pork, alcohol, gambling or
prostitution.

Islamic landlords tell me in my capacity as the principal commercial property
broker at Ask Ash that they will not lease their properties to churches,
casinos, pubs, bottle stores and gambling institutions, so I am familiar with
Islamic law. 

At first, the idea of a smart city built on waqf land sounded contradictory.
What about restaurants that sell alcohol operating on Waterfall City land? And
what if a tenant owns an online sports betting business and works from home in
Waterfall City? Does this city built on waqf land challenge Islamic law?

My original thought was that the direct rental income from the restaurant
becomes a conflict of interest for the landlord’s primary business. If the
Islamic landlord benefits directly, that is a breach of the waqf. 

I now understand that in the case of Waterfall City, the Islamic owner is not
benefiting directly from the lease agreement between the lessee and their
subtenants. The terms and conditions of the waqf are not breached as a result of
the 99-year lease structure that has been put in place. In this manner the owner
does not become party to, and thus accountable for, participating and benefiting
from prohibited activity.

Ask Ash is a new column that examines South Africa’s property, architecture and
living spaces. Continue the conversation with her on email (ash@askash.co.za)
and X (@askashbroker).

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Tags: Islamic Law, Midrand, opinion, Waterfall city


3 REPLIES TO “WATERFALL CITY FOUNDED ON ISLAMIC LAW”

 1. nasser1605, 6 hours ago
    
    Mr Moosa Ismail Mia is an inspiration, a great SAfrican entrepreneur – who
    in 1934 had accumulated 16000 pounds to buy the farm. The man was a
    visionary and a genius!
    
    Log in to Reply
    
 2. AI7, 1 day ago
    
    It’s impressive that as a predominantly Christian nation, everyone is forced
    to bow down to Islamic law. The multiple mosques is a sign of things to
    come. What Islam represents is not good for the average South African in
    terms of freedom.
    
    Log in to Reply
    * Abdul081, 1 day ago
      
      Die in your rage
      
      
      
    


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