Ponte City

Ponte City Apartments
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Residential
Location	Berea, Johannesburg, South Africa
Coordinates	26°11′26″S 28°3′25.5″E / 26.19056°S 28.057083°E / -26.19056; 28.057083
Completed	1975
Height
Roof	173 m (567.6 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	55
Lifts/elevators	8
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Designed by Manfred Hermer
Other information
Parking	Available

Ponte City^[1] is a skyscraper in the Berea suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, just next to Hillbrow. It was built in 1975 to a height of 173 m (567.6 ft), making it the tallest residential skyscraper in Africa. The 55-storey building is cylindrical, with an open centre allowing additional light into the apartments. The centre space is known as "the core" and rises above an uneven rock floor. When built, Ponte City was seen as an extremely desirable address due to its location and views over Johannesburg, but it became infamous for its crime and poor maintenance in the late 1980s to 1990s. It has since been refurbished into a safe property. The neon sign on top of the building is the largest sign in the Southern Hemisphere. It currently went under changes in 2023 rebranding it to VodaPay, a digital wallet system. Before it though, it was covered by South African Network Vodacom from (2000- 2023).^[2] Prior to 2000, it advertised for The Coca-Cola Company.^[3]