After a six-year journey, one of the most flexible REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) regimes internationally has become a reality in South Africa, which could have its first SA REIT from April 2013.

Bringing South Africa in line with international publicly traded real estate investments and creating greater investor certainty, SA National Treasury has tabled a unified approach to property investment schemes which analysts believe is set to create one of the most flexible regimes internationally.

Growthpoint Properties Australia has acquired three modern office properties and a 100% pre-committed office development for a total consideration of AUD289.5m or around R2.4bn.

SA is soon to follow the international trend whereby property loan stock companies and property unit trusts will be structured as real estate investment trusts (the REIT model), with final legislation hopefully in place next year.

Eskom said last year it would not provide electricity to new developments requiring more than 100kVA power because of SA’s low reserve margins.

The listed property sector will continue to see distribution growth next year, albeit at lower levels than in the past few years.

Private developers are playing an increasingly important role in growing the listed property sector as good quality commercial properties become scarcer.

Metboard Properties forced to reduce rentals on certain leases to lower market-related rentals.

Metboard announced a total distribution of 40,17 cents per link unit

Metboard intends to expand its portfolio by actively seeking industrial clients that wish to grow and that require a focused and established property fund to assist them in meeting their property needs.