Investors speak of that once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity. The one that yields exceptional returns coupled with unparalleled security – in short the Holy Grail of investment. Right now, that’s the phrase being used to describe the building that is inching its way up the Sandton skyline. The Leonardo is the Legacy Group and Nedbank Ltd’s latest mixed-use development, and it’s not only breathing new life into the famous skyline, but generating enormous buzz among investors in the financial capital of Africa.
The Leonardo is nestled in the heart of the vibrant and rapidly expanding precinct of Sandton, and can be found at 75 Maude Street. It is within walking distance of the Gautrain and all major businesses, and is also adjacent to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). From this prime location, which represents the best of a frankly unequalled South African lifestyle.
“The Leonardo epitomises the ideal of a mixed-use development – a means to live-work-play in the lap of luxury, with every creature comfort and convenience at your fingertips a simple lift ride away,” says Gijs Foden, director of sales. “For residents this means a secure, luxurious living space, full concierge service, a crèche, a rooftop garden restaurant, coffee shop, heated pool, gyms and manicured gardens, and possibly even a commute to work that involves taking the lift a few floors down. For businesses it means much of the above, plus premium office space, and  an in house business and conference centre.”
The Leondardo will comprise commercial, sectional title office space; 230 one-, two- three- and four-bedroom apartments; eight penthouses; and the pièce-de-la resistance, The Leonardo Suite – a 2,880 square metre, three-floor penthouse with a 360-degree view, whose asking price of R250-million will make it the most expensive sectional title property ever sold in South Africa.
“The apartment component of the building starts from the 16th floor up, to ensure stunning views for every owner. Demand is high, and as we begin selling the higher floors, I expect the capital values of the properties will skyrocket, as was our experience with The Michelangelo Towers and the DAVINCI. I have no doubt that investors will view the The Leonardo in the same light as these highly successful properties, namely a dollar safe investment that protects their rands in a world class development.”
The Leonardo will offer investors and owners all the creature comforts of a five-star hotel. With a hassle free rental-pool option, owners moreover maximise their investments through a new rental structure.
“The Leonardo has everything going for it; not least of which is its development at the hands of Legacy – one of the continent’s most experienced and highly regarded developers in the luxury lifestyle, office, apartment, property and hotels industries. There’s a very good reason investors are so hyped up about this development, it truly is one  you don’t want to miss out on. But really you can’t make a call from simply hearing about it and I appeal to potential investors to come and take a look for themselves,” concludes Foden.
Investors can acquire additional information from Gijs Foden on +27 76 860 0260 email: gfoden@legacygroup.co.za; <a href="http://www.legacyliving.co.za" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.legacyliving.co.za</a>.

Legacy Reaches For The Sky With “The Leonardo” Mixed-Use Development

Nelson Mandela, the artist, was born in 2003, with an introspective set of signed charcoal lithographs, 21 in all, completed under supervision. They harked back to Robben Island.
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Pains were taken to ensure that the pieces weren’t forged. The paper he drew on was watermarked. The prints also carry an embossed stamp of two joined hands. Hours of footage were shot, showing him hard at work on the pieces, to prove that he did in fact create them.
In the South African art market, the pieces have done exceptionally well selling for around $13,300, 10 times their value on release. They are expected to appreciate over time, a rarity in African art. At a London auction, a handprint lithograph, with an authenticated signature, sold for almost $27,000.
It’s good business that has brought some problems. Almost all of this art is going to end up outside of Africa.
“There is demand, mostly from foreign collectors. Most of our sales, around 80 percent, are to international buyers,” says Andre Blignaut from the Clock Tower Gallery in Cape Town, one of the two major dealers and authenticators of Mandela’s art.
Soon after Mandela’s hospitalization, forgeries of ‘no particular skill’ were said to litter the market. Fakes were selling at $4,500 apiece.  However, significant proof, beyond the inspections of a small group of Mandela art experts, of whether the pieces were counterfeit has yet to surface.
“It’s the name behind the art, that’s why they are valuable. A lot of artists are trying to capitalize on Nelson Mandela but this doesn’t mean it’s good. Good art sells, there is a lot of poor art out there,” cautions Blignaut.
At the same time, public art is also hijacking Mandela’s legacy status. The recent unveiling of a tribute sculpture known as Perceiving Freedom on the Sea Point promenade in Cape Town is causing controversy. It is an enlarged metal and plastic model of a pair Ray-Ban sunglasses looking on to Robben Island. Critics decried the piece as ‘advertising masquerading as art’.
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Rebecca Hodes, who wrote on the offending sculpture, warns: “In consenting to its installation, the City of Cape Town has made itself complicit in the corporate abuse of public land and in the hijacking of one of our greatest national icons for private gain.”
As South Africa remembers its national treasure, a year after his death, issues of how best to preserve his legacy must be understood and then resolved.

Nelson Mandela, The Artist

Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of satyagraha, or the insistence on truth and passive resistance, marked the beginning of his pursuit for equality and acceptance. My great great grandfather walked the two lands I hold dear, India and South Africa, paving the way for independence in each, shifting the course of history and setting ideals that would be emulated by many.
South Africa a hundred years ago was a starkly different country engulfed by the dark shadows of colonialism. Many learnt about Gandhi, the slight, bald and bespectacled man clad in little else than a loin cloth who began his journey of passive resistance in South Africa, which paved the way for India’s independence. I learnt about Bapuji (what Gandhi is fondly called) the man who instilled the value of satyagraha in his children and grandchildren.
His legacy was this power of satyagraha. Gandhi’s willingness to risk his freedom through civil disobedience without violence was the core of this phenomenon. Converting the opposing force or resisting with love was novel. The allure of the movement is that once you are charmed by the stories of passive resistance, satyagraha becomes firmly entrenched in you.
Perhaps the one legacy that has impacted the Gandhi family the most has been his printing press. After 10 years of a relentless crusade, Gandhi realized that the twin tasks of mobilizing public opinion and influencing official decisions required a newspaper.
As a great great grandchild returning to the Phoenix settlement in Durban in South Africa, it is often quite incredible to imagine that Gandhi, the commercial lawyer, had the foresight to understand the power of the media by starting a newspaper, Indian Opinion. This is perhaps why so many members of my family, and I, often seek solace in words to articulate our thoughts. The allure is in the history of Indian Opinion, where words became the cornerstone for change and acceptance.
As a family, we are often so disillusioned by the times, the violence and the conflict that seems to have engulfed the world. Disillusionment is soothed, however, by gentle reminders.
Phoenix transformed into a place for community living, a hundred acres of land with a school, a clinic and an arena for activists to meet in the true tradition of Gandhi’s philosophy. Family reunions are often spent retracing these moments with afternoons at Phoenix settlement in the company of my great aunt Ela Gandhi who takes us on nostalgic adventures.
We sit captivated by tales of our great great grandfather who began as a timid young boy, became a lawyer and transformed into a movement. We are awe-struck by the accounts of unwavering and untainted passive resistance, we listen with bated breath at the steadfast ideals he passed on from generation to generation, beginning with his four sons who were instilled with strong work ethics, a moral compass and ideals.
The narrative of satyagraha echoes in South Africa’s own stories of struggle. Born a few years before the end of the apartheid in South Africa, I grew up listening to stories of resistance, the underlying message of peace and passivity often serving as the moral. In tales that could compete with Aessop’s fables, I regaled in South Africa’s history as told by family and friends. Growing up, there was a lot I didn’t fully understand. I didn’t understand human rights, I didn’t understand equality or freedom, because I couldn’t fathom not having them or anyone else being denied them. Herein lies the magic of my family and the legacy that follows us. My bedtime stories were mesmerizing tales of people I knew, these formidable men and dignified women who had become the personification of satyagraha. They had guaranteed me my human rights, my equality, my freedom. I was surrounded by these people who had fought vehemently for what they believed in and told me their enthralling stories while I sat wide-eyed, listening intently, scared I might miss a word. These stories reincarnated Gandhi’s legacy in a timeline of differing contexts, satyagraha was imbibed into the fight for democracy.
Satyagraha has undoubtedly become a global movement but it is a legacy deep-rooted in my family. History lessons for 45 minutes a day, reading begrudgingly from a textbook or listening to my teachers, had little impact in comparison to the firsthand accounts I received, the anecdotes on Gandhi and his quest for equality.
Bapuji’s legacy has stretched far beyond the notion of satyagraha, it is entrenched in the freedoms I hold dear today, it is deeply embedded in the history of South Africa, and is a guiding force for anything I write. For me, his legacy is the ability to create a fundamental shift in the conscience of the masses through the written word.

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Legacy Reaches For The Sky With “The Leonardo” Mixed-Use Development

Nelson Mandela, The Artist

Gandhi