Tucked down in the south of Jo’burg, just before the smallholdings start is Kibler Park. A smart little suburb with properties the track a broad spectrum of prices. Kibler Park sits just south of the Klipriveirsberg Nature reserve, with the reserve making up the northern boundary of the suburb. It is bordered on the south by what later becomes Swartkoppies Road but at this point is just called Main Road. To the west is a new development of lower cost housing and to the east is the Southdowns Golf Club.
Access to the area is relatively restricted with only a few streets providing access to it. Those people heading north will have to, at some point hook up with Klibriviersberg Road or Vereeniging Road. The latter becomes the M1 highway so for those working in the CBD or in close proximity to the highway it might be a good option for commuting from.
Properties in the suburb run the gambit of prices with freehold properties selling from between R400 000 and R800 000 and R3 million plus. The key differentiator between the average house in the suburb – which would sell for around R800 000 and the multi-million rand mansions is how far up the hill the property is situated. The better the view the more you will pay, as is the want in most areas.
In total 59 properties have traded hands in the past 12 months and all but four of these were in the R400 000 to R1.5 million bracket. The suburb has a strong entrenched group of stable owners with 40 percent of owners having been there for 11 years or more. Recent buyers tend to be from the lower end of the age spectrum with more than 80 percent of recent buyers under the age of 50.
Some of the owners have, as is the case in many areas, fallen on hard times and because of this there were 16 sales in execution last year. This figure is declining from its peak of 23 in 2007, so it would appear that economically speaking things are looking up for the area. Because of its location on the edge of Johannesburg, Kibler Park benefits from being close to open land but also suffers as it is more exposed to areas that are ripe for informal settlements and the crime that often accompanies them.
Also being somewhat isolated getting to shopping and other amenities is somewhat difficult. The Glen Shopping Centre is most likely the closest large shopping centre, but Southgate is also close, but may cater for a slightly different demographic.
The suburb is relative close to schools in Mondeor and the south, as the crow flies, but because of the nature reserve blocking the route it is a relatively long. However, a relatively new addition to the area is Waterstone College, which caters for grades 00 to 12 and is within walking distance of most of the suburb. The school has large grounds and is focused on delivering quality education and draws its students from across the southern suburbs.
