EDITORIAL VIEW promised structural and economic reforms necessary to unlock the growth of our economy – including bringing additional electricity capacity into the grid and fixing Eskom .”
Jack adds : “ The Minister ’ s highlighting of the need to improve the service delivery of local municipalities has major implications for the valuation of property across the country , as adequate service delivery boosts investor confidence and reduces the vacancies of commercial and residential properties . We are hopeful that diversifying their primary energy sources by moving towards renewable energy to add 2 600MW to the grid from 2023 will lead to less dependence on Eskom and further GDP growth .”
While we look forward to the government-backed fiscal stimulus projects , particularly the infrastructure fund , a group of property pioneers , architects and farmers are taking matters into their own hands . Crossways Farm Village , the new rural ‘ smart ’ town , is set to have internally managed municipal services and alleviation of poorly-managed service delivery , accessibility and loadshedding .
During the annual REI RODE Virtual Property Forum , Award winning landscape architect and urban designer and founder of Crossways Farm Village Dr Chris Mulder , said our national success lies in creating places of enduring value . “ Why invest in a place where you can ’ t get an increase in value of your property ? If you plan it well and regulate it well the size does not matter .”
According to Dr Mulder , enduring value in real estate with a high investment grade is made up of four key aspects . Namely ; Economic Value , Socio- Cultural Value Environmental Value and Sensory Value . With this quadruple netvalue being achieved in Crossways , the question looms : Is this new rural smart town the blueprint for developers , architects and municipalities ?
Enduring value is especially relevant when referring to rural South Africa - where 40 % of our population resides . The lack of accessibility and opportunities in these areas sees mass migrations of the workforce moving out of the urban edge into towns and cities . “ People do not have to uproot their lives for convenience , that is why I have dedicated the last 10 to 15 years of my life to develop rural south Africa ,” says Dr Mulder .
STAY SAFE & SUCCESSFUL INVESTING NICHOLA LOOCK GENERAL MANAGER
Enoch Godongwana
“ The task of growing our economy requires that we work together as South Africans ; single minded in our understanding that working alone none of us can achieve the desired results .”
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine NOV 2021 3