GPF Publications 2021

BLACK PROPERTY DEVELOPERS CAN BOOST THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SECTOR – 30 March 2021

GPF Publications 2020

GPF Publications 2019

GPF Publications 2017

AdVoice BY THE GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS 22 February 2017

Financial Mail – Affordable able housing for all March 30 – April 5, 2017

GPF Publications 2015

GPF Publications 2014

GPF Publications 2013

GPF Publications 2012

GPF Publications 2011

Honourable Mayor

Honourable MMCs Present

HoD of the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements

Chairperson and CEO of the Gauteng Partnership Fund

Distinguished Guests

Members of Media

As a country, we are faced with a chronic problem of a shortage of student accommodation, further exacerbated in Gauteng because of the multiplicity of institutions of higher learning that pervade the province and the high influx of new students that come into the province each year as a result, looking for an opportunity to better their own lives and those of their families through pursuing a higher education qualification that will give them the skills and expertise to enter the job market.

Government contributes about R4 billion per annum to higher education institutions, in the manner of a grant, with the hope of making a dent in this rapidly expanding social problem of a lack of sufficient student accommodation, owing to demand side pressures, but of course this is still not enough and much more needs to be done in the form of investment in order to resolve it more adequately.

According to the Department of Higher Education’s Ministerial Review of SA University accommodation, less than 10% of first-year students can be accommodated. As the student population increases, demand also rises for student housing which so far is experiencing a critical shortage, creating excellent investment opportunities in South Africa.

Affordable, quality student accommodation is critical for the success of not only individual students but for South Africa as a whole, because the  shortage of accommodation is dehumanising for students, mostly from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, who cannot afford accommodation, and this has a direct effect on their academic prospects too.

Affordable, quality student accommodation at public higher education institutions is the responsibility of the state, the university and society at large, meaning that we need to create a social compact, encouraging private sector investment in order to address this most urgent need and as we do so, we should be cognisant of the fact that student housing should be more than just the provision of beds; it should, just as importantly create living, learning and social communities, an environment that stimulates learning and innovation so that students that come out of our institutions of higher learning are not just ready for the job market but are also globally competitive.

As part of the ANC-led government’s commitment to providing free higher education to learners, who are mostly from historically disadvantaged and working-class backgrounds, we are looking at addressing challenges these students typically face in finding accommodation as well as availability of transport and also accessing study material, in pursuit of a more equitable, fair, just society that offers opportunities to all, as opposed to a select, elite few.

It is within this broader ambit that we must view the project that we are launching today, Winchester Heights, a student accommodation project that will offer 224 students from the University of Johannesburg quality, affordable, accommodation, with transport to and from campus being included as part of the developer’s service offering to students.

This project has been funded under the Student Accommodation Fund of the provincial government entity, the Gauteng Partnership Fund and with the developer being a 100% black-owned company, it also contributes to our economic transformation objective of empowering emerging black property developers to participate in the highly lucrative affordable residential property market more meaningfully and significantly.

The project contributes to the Gauteng Provincial Government’s objective of improving the quality of life and living conditions of those who reside in the province, which of course includes students, through the provision of decent shelter which is close to transport, to social amenities and other opportunities for social and economic upliftment.

THANK YOU!!!

5 January 2022 – The Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF) announces the appointment of Lindiwe Kwele as Chief Executive Officer, with effect from 5 January 2022. The organisation has been without a permanent CEO since March 2021.

Commenting on Kwele’s appointment, the Chairperson of the GPF, Hlengiwe Bhengu-Motsiri said:

“We are extremely pleased about this appointment and believe that having a permanent CEO is critical in firming up the strategic positioning of the GPF, to ensure that the organisation makes an improved contribution as a partner of choice in the affordable housing sector in Gauteng. The organisation went through a rigorous process in selecting a new CEO – with the assistance of an independent recruitment agency – and we believe that we have the right candidate for the role.  Ms. Kwele will work closely with the board to oversee the repositioning of our organisation. We believe her arrival will help the GPF improve its effectiveness as a strategic player in the province, also address its financial sustainability issues.”

Kwele holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Wales and a Bachelor’s Degree in Administration from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.  She has also completed a range of business and leadership programmes through several prestigious business schools.

She is a seasoned executive who can communicate effectively at all required strategic levels. Her wealth of experience has equipped her with the requisite competences in managing diverse and competing stakeholder expectations. Kwele’s leadership qualities ensure that she can direct both operations and strategic functions effectively. Her background has seen her successfully serving in several senior executive roles including that of Chief Executive Officer, Chief of Operations and Deputy City Manager.

“The GPF will most certainly benefit from Ms. Kwele’s depth of experience and strategic capability,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.

Lindiwe Kwele takes up office as GPF Chief Executive Officer on 5 January 2022.

ENDS

A report by the South African Human Rights Commission on housing challenges in Gauteng, makes the following pertinent observation: “Since the advent of democracy, the South African government has delivered in excess of 4.5 million housing opportunities. Although this is to be lauded, the reality remains that South Africa’s housing crisis persists. This housing crisis, although national, is more pronounced in certain provinces and is increasingly becoming a defining characteristic of South Africa’s urban centres. With trends all pointing to a further increase in the rate of urbanisation, attempts to address the housing crisis in metros across the country require closer scrutiny.”

In agreeing fully with the sentiments of the report as expressed above, we must also add that it will require not only greater scrutiny, but also innovation and an entrepreneurial approach from government, in partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders to address housing challenges within the province and come up with creative, sustainable solutions.

In line with this innovative and entrepreneurial approach to housing delivery, the Gauteng provincial government is working through its entity, the Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF) to:

• facilitate spatial transformation for the benefit of historically disadvantaged individuals and families, by providing affordable housing in areas where they are more integrated withing existing communities.
• contribute towards acceleration of spatial transformation and addressing spatial inequality within our city region and improving the quality of life of historically disadvantaged individuals and families through the provision of dignified shelter that is close to transport, work and other amenities and
• empower emerging black property developers to participate in the affordable residential property market.

The GPF has an Entrepreneur Empowerment Property Fund (EEPF), which is  an incubator programme that was established in 2010 to encourage emerging black property developers to participate in the affordable housing residential property market, a market which remains untransformed and there is a need to ensure participation by previously disadvantaged developers.

Applications are open to any historically disadvantaged Individuals’ (HDI) entities who want to participate in this lucrative but untransformed segment of the property market, which itself requires greater efforts at transforming. Since inception of this incubator programme,  36 projects have been completed, yielding 1736 liveable units. We want to scale this up for greater impact as part of socio-economic transformation.

Black ownership within the R6 trillion property sector sits at less than 7% and black developers continue to be constrained by the lack of access to finance and the lack of access to land. As the Property Sector Transformation Charter itself clearly states, “Commercially, direct property ownership is dominated by institutional investors, large private owners, collective investment schemes, property loan stocks and listed property entities, with government being the largest commercial player. There is limited participation of black people, particularly women, in ownership and control of these entities. The commercially driven activities surrounding property, including development, management and sales, rests largely in white-owned hands.”

We want to facilitate the entry and development of black developers within the affordable housing residential sector specifically. We want to assist in creating an enabling environment, support mechanisms, funding options and the regulatory framework for smaller black developers to enter the space and not just compete, but be able to become significant, even industry-leading players.

The granting of approvals and development rights by municipalities must be slanted towards the empowerment of emerging black developers. We must look at land release opportunities for emerging black developers or even state-owned land that could be released or leased to emerging black developers for development.

We see a unique opportunity for the private sector to partner with us through the GPF in the following manner, amongst other things:

• Fundraising and investment facilitation: Use of public sector funding to leverage additional funding and facilitate capital flows into integrated, sustainable human settlements, through the formation of strategic partnerships with local and international donors, development finance institutions and private sector partners.
• Project Financing: To facilitate an equitable risk sharing and project the spatial transformation of the GCR to develop integrated, sustainable human settlements is through leveraging financing model.

We are doing all of this in pursuit of the spatial transformation of GCR by developing integrated, sustainable human settlements so that we can address all of the requirements that the -International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights identified as critical in providing adequate housing: legal security of tenure; availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure; affordability, habitability, accessibility, location and cultural adequacy.

Lebogang Maile  MPL, is the Gauteng Member of the Executive Council for Human Settlements, Urban Planning, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

Motsweding – DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

The Gauteng Department of Housing and Human Settlements said in this financial year, service stands will be allocated to all people living in informal settlements across the city of Tshwane. The Department says the process of allocating stands has been fast tracked as it is unacceptable that some people are still on a waiting list for almost four years. The issue has been raised during an Affordable Housing Indaba under the theme planning the Future of Integrated Human Settlements.

Video 1 – ANN7 – DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Vuka Africa – The Gauteng Human Settlements Department says it will use at least R5billion, to accelerate housing and urban renewal projects in the 2015\16 financial year. This emerged during the housing indaba, in Johannesburg that is aimed at bringing various stakeholders together from both public and private sectors.

Video 2 – ANN7 – DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Vuka Africa – The Gauteng Human Settlements Department says it will use at least R5billion, to accelerate housing and urban renewal projects in the 2015\16 financial year. This emerged during the housing indaba, in Johannesburg that is aimed at bringing various stakeholders together from both public and private sectors

Morning Talk,EEPF interview with Vinolia Mashiane 25 July 2013 

Radio interview with our CIO, Boni Muvevi on KAYA FM on Monday, the 30^th April at 17h23.