Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa March/April 2019 | Page 12

MASTER INVESTOR
some money in it and seen the pitfalls. Many projects, on which
you may spend years, do not necessarily happen. I invested five
years in such a project and have nothing to show except scars
and experience.
My best investments stem from making logical, not
opportunistic, investments.
The biggest lesson is that it’s all about torque not speed. You
have got to be willing to stick it out for the long run. If you are
going to cut your losses, do it quickly.
On the WCPDF
to clients who take the ‘real risk’. According to Van Zyl: ‘We have
several projects in the company ranging from smaller commercial
and residential projects all the way to a new harbour city.’
On investing in the SA property market:
I believe that affordable and mid-market residential in well-
located areas are a sure winner. I don’t like fads. I believe that
there is value in property segments that serve the people who
work and live in urban environments.
In my personal experience, my best returns have been in small
Boland towns where timing on buying and selling was perfect.
It’s all about seeing potential and getting the timing right.
You cannot say you know this industry if you have not lost
Going forward Van Zyl says he’d like to ‘leave the place a bit
better than I found it.’ This would be mainly through his work at
the WCPDF – an organization on which many related property
and construction industries have representation. ‘We all do what
we do for the Forum on a voluntary basis and we do it to ensure,
on the one hand, that the industry speaks with one voice in
governmental and regulatory environments and, on the other,
we want to change the perception of the industry and grow it
into a well-respected sector recognized by all for its important
contribution to the economy.’
Van Zyl says he also wants to change public perception of the
industry. ‘Many feel that developers in particular are a “necessary
evil” without realising, as the Forum’s treasurer Rod MacPhail,
himself a developer, recently noted: ‘If you live in a house of any
kind, of bricks and mortar, you have a developer to thank for it.’
He also says that related industries are not only the backbone of
development in the private sector, but 80% of all our resources
are involved in the construction of public infrastructure.
THE WESTERN CAPE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT FORUM
• South African Association of Consulting Professional
Improving the property development envi-
Planners (SAACPP)
ronment
The Western Cape Property Development Forum (WCPDF)
was founded in 2008 to create awareness and address the
challenges that impede the property development industry,
and to be the collective voice of the industry in the Western
Cape. It focuses on the production line of property.
To do this, it actively engages and lobbies politicians and
government representatives and provide detailed input and
feedback on draft legislation and policy to make the public
sector aware of the ramifications that decision-making
processes and service delivery has on property development
and, in term, the economy and most importantly jobs.
While the industry is also impacted by national legislation,
the most critical development issues tend to occur at ground
level, and therefore the Forum’s emphasis is regional. Property
is produced at municipal level.
The awareness it strives to create can only be achieved
through ongoing networking and lobbying, and the Forum
has therefore actively sought membership from the broadest
spectrum of representative bodies from various professions that
rely on the industry so that it may be able to speak with one
voice. As a result, the Forum is very proud to have a number
of industry organisations represented on its management
committee, including the following:
• Association of Construction Project Managers (ACPM)
• Association of South African Quantity Surveyors
(ASAQS)
• Cape Institute of Architects (CIA)
• Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA)
• Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA)
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MARCH/APRIL 2019 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
• South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA)
• Youth in Property Association (YIPA)
The Forum is also linked to the Stellenbosch School of
Public Leadership and its Stellenbosch Good Governance
Forum, and also works closely with the Property Committee
of the Cape Law Society.
Its association with YIPA and in turn its association
with the UCT 100UP programme enables it to also drive
transformation in the industry. Since early in 2018, it has
been driving biannual intern programmes with high school
learners who may be encouraged to consider a career in one or
other of the sectors in the industry, and the Forum is currently
investigating a bursary programme for post graduate students.
The Forum’s focus areas are therefore:
To be a representative body for the property development
industry in the Western Cape that is recognised by relevant
authorities, particularly in terms of the vital role it plays to the
province’s economy through investment and job creation
• To promote the interests of the property development
industry
• To interpret and facilitate understanding between the
authorities and the property development industry
• To inform its membership of changes in legislation and
policies
• To co-operate with the various property-related professions
in making the greater Western Cape sensitive to the need
for property development
• To actively engage in the education of the industry.