Our history

The Amdec Group was founded in Cape Town in 1989 by father and son John and James Wilson. They shared a vision of a better way of living, working, interacting and relaxing, and believed that property provided the key to connecting people and creating environments where thriving communities could form and flourish.

John brought his civil engineering background and a wealth of property development expertise, and James, a chartered accountant, provided strategic thinking and leadership. Their entrepreneurial spirit has driven exponential growth, built a prestigious portfolio of property assets, and a company profile that includes diverse real estate entities throughout South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

John Wilson & James Wilson

The early years

The Amdec Group’s earliest projects comprised residential renovations and refurbishments in Cape Town’s south peninsula. As these grew in scale, the company was able to take on bigger and more complex new builds, including apartment complexes, gated residential communities, commercial office developments, and mixed-use precincts. Notable early residential developments included Fisherman’s Village in Muizenberg, The Paddocks in Constantia, Normandy Village in Plumstead and The Summit in Higgovale, and luxury Golf lodges at Arabella Country Estate in Hermanus and Pearl Valley in the Cape Winelands.

Early commercial developments included Virgin Active, Westlake Lifestyle Centre and Steenberg Office Park in Tokai, and the Tyger Lake mixed-use precinct, in Tyger Valley. Securing a 50% share of the iconic Melrose Arch mixed-use precinct in Johannesburg in 2005 added a flagship property to the portfolio and allowed the Amdec Group to hone its expertise as a leading developer of new urban lifestyles. These learnings were successfully applied to the development of the Amdec Group’s first inclusionary housing project being 120 End Street in Doornfontein, Johannesburg, in 2007.

Responding confidently to the global credit crunch of 2008-2009, the Amdec Group chose to diversify its assets and expand nationally. This period saw the introduction of Evergreen Lifestyle, which would go on to become South Africa’s premier retirement brand. In addition the purchase of land in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape cemented the Amdec Groups national footprint.

Exponential growth

The Amdec Group has experienced exponential growth in the last 10 years:

Melrose Arch has more than trebelled in size with the addition of three award-winning hotels, numerous luxury residential developments, several corporate office headquarters, an outdoor piazza, and the award-winning Galleria shopping emporium.

The Evergreen Lifestyle brand has expanded nationally to include seven completed villages, with a further six villages under construction.

Two multi-billion Rand mixed-use developments, One on Whiteley at Melrose Arch, and The Yacht Club in Cape Town – were developed and added to the national portfolio.

Harbour Arch in Cape Town, an ambitious addition to the CBD, has launched the impressive first tower of six, for the mixed-used precinct.

The Amdec Group purchased Sitari Country Estate outside Somerset West and acquired a 30% stake in the Val de Vie® and Pearl Valley luxury lifestyle estates in the Cape Winelands.

The development of The Ridge, the first of nine residential villages at Westbrook in Port Elizabeth, was recently completed, followed immediately with the commencement of construction on two new residential developments – Riverdale and Hilltop.

The Amdec Group expanded globally with the establishment of offices in London in the United Kingdom and Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America.

Today, the Amdec Group is recognised as South Africa’s leading developer of new urban lifestyles. This reputation, along with the iconic developments on which it is based, is founded upon our belief that there is a better way of living, working, relaxing and interacting. Our buildings and public spaces focus on lifestyle, enjoyment and connectivity, helping to build happy communities while also offering energy efficiency, sustainability and convenience.

Our timeline

  • 1989
  • 1994
  • 1998
  • 2001
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2023