The most expensive house in South Africa which had been on sale for R700 million is no longer on the market.
This was confirmed to Weekend Argus by the Solomon Brothers Group’s Jeffrey Solomon.
For months and even years, social and the mainstream media have been abuzz with news about the mansion at 30 Geneva Drive in Camps Bay.
The residence popularly known as “Casablanca” made headlines again this year after it went onto the market with a price tag of R700m.
The Weekend Argus followed up on recent claims that the Solomon Brothers Group was the actual owner of “Casablanca”.
When the newspaper made contact with the group, it did not confirm or deny ownership but said it was “privately owned” and was no longer on the market.
Solomon said in his email response: “The property is privately owned and is not for sale. We have no further comment.”
It is unclear how long the house has been on the market and when it was taken off property sales.
According to Solomon’s LinkedIn account, he has been the Group CEO of Solomon Bros Group for 40 years, and is in Real Estate Development and Investment. He has also been the CEO of the PepperClub Hotel & Spa for the past 14 years.
The property has graced the pages of international estate agents’ sites, among them Jade Mills in Beverly Hills and Barry Cohen homes, who are yet to respond to media queries about the property.
The architect behind the house’s beautiful design is John Middleton-Simpson of Cape Town, who said that it was inspired by a property built in the 1990s in Llandudno.
The Llandudno house was featured on the cover of SA Homeowners in April 1999.
Middleton-Simpson shared exclusively how he had designed the house in Camps Bay and how it was built from scratch 12 years ago.
“It was two properties which were consolidated. It was built from the ground,” he said.
“The construction began in 2011. The top floor offers the main suite for the owner and a floor below that has the main bedrooms. There is a study and also a servants’ quarter.
“The owners had seen the house I had designed in Llandudno and that is where they got their inspiration from.
“The house in Camps Bay is not easy to miss, you can see it from the beach. Everyone knows it and who owns it.”
It boasts eight bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a gym, a squash court, a sauna, relaxation rooms, a wine cellar, a whisky bar, a cinema, a billiards room, a library, an Olympic-size pool, a car wash and parking for more than 14 cars.
The estate spans 3 133m² under one roof, with terraces sized at 1 190m². Property Flash chief writer and editor Alistair Anderson said he was not aware that the house was off the market.
He would be making contact with property agents after being informed that the house was no longer for sale.
Weekend Argus previously reported that it was last sold in 2012 for R600 750 000 and according to reports it was renovated in 2014.