Against the backdrop of ongoing measures to address the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, the Supplementary Budget 2020 highlighted several key aspects, says Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive of the Pam Golding Property group.

JSE REIT Stor-Age, South Africa’s leading and largest self storage property fund, continued outperforming sector and JSE indices for the year to March 2020, with robust results and a 5% higher dividend of R1.12 per share reflecting the resilience of the self storage product.

Initial predictions regarding the future of the residential property market as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown have painted a sombre picture: significant drops in house prices, more supply than demand, and people unable to afford their home loans. 

“The COVID-19 Crisis has changed the world a lot, perhaps less through introducing new trends and more through speeding up old trends,” said John Loos, FNB Economist at an FNB Commercial Property Finance (CPF) webinar earlier today.

The Covid-19 pandemic and South Africa’s lockdown regulations are impacting all aspects of our lives.

In the midst of a rapidly contracting economy in limbo under an extended lockdown, today’s (21 May 2020) announcement of a further reduction of 50 bps in the repo rate will have a positive effect on the residential property market, albeit deferred until potential buyers can begin transacting in earnest, says Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive of the Pam Golding Property group.

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, has declared 136 priority human settlements and housing development areas (PHSHDAs) across the country.

It is fashionable to have an opinion on how the COVID-19 Crisis is “changing the world”.

During the Corona Crisis-related lockdowns, many residential rental tenants would have seen their incomes decline sharply, and in certain instances even drop to zero.

Urbanisation has been a major watchword of the 21st century, with 55% of the world’s population already living in urban areas and numbers expected to increase to almost 70% by 2050, however, the course of urbanisation is likely to be significantly altered by several forcible disrupters.