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.

Spire Property Management recently secured the management contracts for several retail centres in outlying areas of Durban and Johannesburg.

Under ideal circumstances, renting a property should be a smooth and hassle-free process.

In South Africa, 50% of shoppers see stopping for something to eat and drink as an important part of the experience when visiting a centre.

Ongoing high municipal rate hikes are harming communities because of a lack of understanding about the far-reaching impacts of these increases reports Marius Muller, CEO of Pareto Limited. 

Rapid urbanisation, population growth and an undersupply of formal retail space continue to drive growth in the retail sector across Sub-Saharan Africa.