Although relatively few Capetonians are aware of this further step in the campaign to limit their water consumption, the Cape Town City Council has just approved a range of amendments to the water by-laws. 

The South African Council of Shopping Centre’s (SACSC) Annual Research Conference celebrated its eighth anniversary recently with more than 270 delegates representing the country’s most respected companies and brands, in attendance.

 The ABC of Rental Deposits possibly one of the biggest sources of contention between landlords and tenants surrounds the rental deposit.

Many tenants ask their landlords for first refusal, should the landlord ever decide to sell the property.

Cape Town’s popularity as a world-class tourist destination has resulted in a spike in the number of homes available for holiday lets and fuelled investor demand for sectional title units with short term rental potential.

South Africa is currently seeing the emergence of a new type of property buyer known as a “rentvestor”, says Gerhard Kotzé, MD of the RealNet estate agency group.

Landlords in the burgeoning office hub of Rosebank are not shy to charge premium-grade office tenants top-end rentals, given the demand for space in the district.

Port Elizabeth has a reputation for being “the friendly city”, and its great schools, sandy beaches, salt-scented air and relaxed pace of life have certainly won the town many devoted residents.

While the look ahead will be challenging for the South African property industry as a whole, there are still pockets of opportunity for investors, landlords and tenants, says Tim Cable, director, who now heads up the real estate sector in South Africa for global professional services consultancy, Turner & Townsend.

I think the industry is in a very healthy state. Looking ahead, I think we’re going to see more global companies coming in.