Muslims are for the first time being offered the option of buying timeshare accommodation in the holy city of Mecca.
Currently, no non-Saudis may own property in the country.
And because of the vast numbers of pilgrims who travel to Mecca every year, the city is fast running out of accommodation - and pilgrim numbers are increasingly being limited by the strict visa system.
Saudi Arabian property developers have now asked a local property company to recruit agents to sell timeshare accommodation in a string of new hotels.
South African Muslims are being offered five-star accommodation in several thousand housing units.
Carl Nagel, of Rose McFall Properties in Somerset West, said Saudi Amjad, a leading developer in the Middle East, was launching this space-sharing solution to cater for the increasing amount of accommodation problems in one of the world's holiest cities.
The initiative offers a superior Islamic Law "Shariah" compliant solution for Muslims all around the world to own a second home near the Holy Mosque in Mecca.
"This accommodation prospect is an ideal opportunity for Muslims worldwide to visit Mecca every year and stay in their own apartments at affordable prices," said Nagel.
The accommodation will be offered in a new string of buildings named Le Meridien Towers.
The Le Meridien brand was established in 1972 by Air France and is today a global hotel group with a portfolio of more than 130 hotels in 56 countries worldwide.
Nagel said this meant that South African Muslims who bought space in Mecca would be able to exchange their timeshare assets with the other Le Meridien Hotels around the world - including Medina and Dubai.
Rose McFall Properties has been asked to recruit Cape agents to offer the properties to families, corporates and travel companies.
Nagel said a bonus offered by the timeshare arrangement was that buyers would be guaranteed visas at a time when quotas for the pilgrimage were becoming extremely tight.