Inside failed plans for £4.2bn mega city dubbed ‘Manhattan of Africa’ being developed by China
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CHINA once revealed ambitious plans to build a £4.2billion modern "eco-smart city" in the heart of South Africa. Dubbed the "New York of Africa", Modderfontein near Johannesburg was supposed to be a home for the ultra-rich, but the city never saw the light of the day.
![[LOST CITY Inside failed plans for £4.2bn mega city dubbed ‘Manhattan of Africa’ being developed by China, Zendai Group’s concept for Modderfontein]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/lost-city-inside-failed-plans-961526827.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The project was designed by Shanghai-based Zendai Group, which bought the 1,600-hectare site in 2013. They envisioned it as a smart and modern city that blended perfectly with nature. The developers committed to providing 300,000 jobs, 50,000 homes, and modern amenities, including shopping centres, schools, and hospitals.
![[LOST CITY Inside failed plans for £4.2bn mega city dubbed ‘Manhattan of Africa’ being developed by China, Zendai Group’s concept for Modderfontein]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/lost-city-inside-failed-plans-961527016.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Luxury skyscrapers and lush green forest-like parks were also promised. Dai Zhikang, Zendai’s chairman, claimed it would become “the future capital of the whole of Africa. "This will be on a par with cities like New York in America or Hong Kong in the Far East.".
![[LOST CITY Inside failed plans for £4.2bn mega city dubbed ‘Manhattan of Africa’ being developed by China, Zendai Group’s concept for Modderfontein]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/70f35b6d-af07-4707-9ade-59125d007e5c.jpg?strip=all&w=838)
Top international consulting firms like Atkins and Arup were hired to draw up a masterplan for the 1,600-hectare site. But the ambitious project never came to life. Local authorities demanded that Chinese developers should include thousands of affordable housing units for nearby residents to stay in the city.
![[An artist's impression of what the city would have looked like]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/lost-city-inside-failed-plans-961534911.jpg?strip=all&w=800)
However, the firm's plan only included luxury homes for the ultra-rich people. The project was put on hold for two years before being finally scraped off. Today, the site in Modderfontein has a small population living in scattered homes. Meanwhile, a £1billion Chinese-made city sits empty in Malaysia after it was left to rot by the developers.
