Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa March/April 2019 | Page 11

DEON VAN ZYL
A
construction industry haemorrhaging jobs. A property
development industry losing skills to other sectors and
regions. Someone needs to say something. Enter Deon
van Zyl, the chairperson of the Western Cape Property Devel-
opment Forum (WCPDF), who recently called on local and re-
gional governments in the Western Cape to shake a leg.
The 48-year-old businessman and the main man on our cover
this month, Van Zyl is an unassuming businessman keen to
get on with his job and to support the property development
industry.
Chairperson of the WCPDF, Van Zyl cut his teeth in the
redevelopment of brownfields land with exposure to land
remediation, and recently became the CEO of AL&A, a
Development and Project Management Company based in Cape
Town. AL&A is involved in development consulting and project
management, as well as construction project management. With
Alwyn Laubscher, the founder of the business, now moving
more into a consultancy role, he’ll be ‘stepping into his very large
shoes,’ says Van Zyl of his new challenge.
He describes himself as a ‘multi-skilled generalist’. Handy
for a private businessman and public head of an industry lobby
group.
‘Our industry should reflect the needs and profile of the
market we serve. I would like to contribute, albeit in a small
way, to making our industry reflective and serving of the
community we live in,’ he says. When asked on the opportunities
available to South African property investors he says the answer
is simple: ‘Property development is the proverbial
bellwether industry reflecting the true state
of the economy and confidence levels. The
opportunity is about strengthening the
role of the property development and
construction sectors – and all the
other professions that are involved
in it – towards becoming a
serious force not only in the
development of private and
public infrastructure, but in becoming one of the most significant
sectors contributing to employment in South Africa and beyond.
‘I believe we are not giving the construction industry its due
credit for getting money to some of the poorest community
groups that sell their labor. Whilst this industry is suffering now,
scarce skills will be rewarded in due course.’.
The WCPDF recently raised the major issue of slow
turnarounds in Government procurement of professional and
construction services on the one hand, and decision making on
development rights on the other, with the two together severely
impacting investment in the Western Cape.
An increasing slowdown in approval processes by local and
provincial governments is costing the Western Cape thousands
of jobs and will lead to the loss of scarce skills, according to
WCPDF.
The situation is deemed to be so critical that the WCPDF is
in talks with provincial economic development agency Wesgro
to facilitate a process between its members and government, and
the Forum has also made the current situation the theme of its
upcoming annual conference in May.
‘This is not a finger-pointing exercise. It is our very serious
attempt to highlight the impact that government processes
have on the economy. We wish to bring the public and private
sector together to discuss the state of not only the property and
construction industries in the Western Cape and the challenges
they face, but the significant role they have and will hopefully
continue to play in the economic development of this province
and indeed the country,’ says Van Zyl.
Deon van Zyl grew up in the home of a civil servant with a
background in law and social work. His father was responsible
for multiple public projects in his career, ranging from housing
developments to education and health. ‘He was effectively a
property developer in Government,’ says Van Zyl.
‘I initially thought that architecture would be a good point
of entry into a similar career but soon realised that I needed to
understand scale and have a multi-disciplinary understanding.
City planning and urban design taught me scale, but the hard
slog of project management taught me the value and purpose of a
multi-disciplinary approach to development. I am very thankful
for the training process,’ he says.
His first property investment saw him use his entire overdraft
to buy an erf in Montagu on spec. ‘I made 300% in nine months!
My decision was made on the basis that you could not produce
the property at the price it was on offer for and, at the same time,
the town was a productive town. For example, the fruit farmers
in the area were doing extremely well.’
He says the lesson he learnt was to invest in productive areas,
and to stay away from nice-to-have investments.
His gap into real estate development came around 18 years
ago when his boss at the time returned to England and the
corporate decided at that point not to replace him but to allow
Van Zyl, at the tender age of 30, to run multi-million Rand
projects with an experienced team of external consultants. ‘This
allowed me to learn on the job in a way that no formal training
could ever do.’
However, looking back on a career of achievements, Van
Zyl says it is difficult to choose any single event as his biggest
achievement.
‘Every development that hits the ground is a miracle. The
probability of passing through the quagmire of statuary
constraints and financial hurdles make it a miracle when you get
to put a spade in the ground. Every project, whether public or
private, that I have worked on and which has broken ground is a
highlight and worthy of a ‘biggest achievement’ award.’
Currently, Van Zyl’s vision for AL&A is honesty and loyalty
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine MARCH/APRIL 2019
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