Confidence on the rise in SA

South Africa is a country with enormous potential, and the good fortune to have so many ordinary people who continue to believe in it and do their very best, every day, to help it become the exceptional place we all know it can be. 

This was very strongly brought home to me again this month as I watched the President deliver the State of the Nation Address and in the process remind us all how far we've come since the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) just a few months ago.

Certainly we still have big problems caused by the economic neglect of the past 10 years, but with the shift in focus now there is real hope that we can steadily increase growth and job creation, lower crime and corruption, reduce the country's debt and really make a dent in our housing shortage.

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Highlights of the SONA included the government's commitment to invest more than R940-billion over the next three years to fix our infrastructure and in particular the roads, bridges, railways and ports that we urgently need to boost business and trade. And major water infrastructure projects are already under way with more to come to at last address one of the most pressing problems for SA, and especially our large metros.

In addition, there has been a significant policy shift that will enable faster development through public-private partnerships, and the opening up of the vital energy and electricity sectors to private competition.

From real estate point of view, we were also delighted with the GNU plans to address the failings of all too many municipalities in SA, which have led to poor service delivery and high levels of dissatisfaction with potholes, frequent water and electricity outages, erratic refuse removal and no maintenance of public facilities such as clinics, libraries and parks. It was good to hear that government now plans a new, decentralised model for local government, based on a pilot scheme being run in the eThekwini metro that enables government, business, labour and community-based organisations to all work together.

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For us, this is where the rubber really meets the road when it comes to government, because everyone wants and deserves to live in a well-run city, town or suburb with clean streets, safe parks and good amenities where the money they pay for property rates or utilities is not being siphoned off by corrupt officials. We already have very clear examples in the Western Cape of how excellent municipal management attracts more home buyers and developers into an area, and also protects and enhances the value of existing properties, so we are very keen indeed to see this trend expand across the country.

Meanwhile, we also applaud the GNU's plan to start resolving SA's serious shortage of affordable housing by revising the national housing subsidy scheme and identifying government-owned land close to city centres and other employment hubs for the rapid development of low-cost housing and rental properties.  

More good news this month is that employment is already on the rise, with some 200 000 new jobs having been created in the last quarter of 2024 and that business and consumer confidence are at their highest levels in many years. There is definitely a new feeling of optimism rising up in SA, and this is clearly reflected in the rapid increase in residential property demand we have experienced over the past few months.

This enabled us to sell many billions of rands worth of homes in 2024 and has put us 36% ahead of our projections for the current financial year. Long may that continue, we say, and more power to all those who are helping to make the South African dream come true!