Economy

South Africa’s property market is at a crossroads, grappling with systemic challenges that are deepening inequality and stifling economic growth. High transaction costs, including transfer duties and registration fees, coupled with the prevalence of properties without title deeds, have driven a significant portion of property transactions into the informal sector.This informal trading, while a workaround...

The rise in fuel prices means there is less disposable income to cover bond repayments, utilities, and maintenance costs, according to short-term lender Wonga.The loan firm’s chief marketing officer James Williams said for aspiring homeowners, the rising cost of living could impact affordability assessments, making it harder to qualify for home loans. “Banks and lenders consider disposable income when...

The South African property industry is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the anomaly or ambiguity around, and give some clarity on, the new Expropriation Act, in his State of the Nation address tonight.In response to Independent Media Property, South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA), the local commercial and industrial real estate sector representative association’s CEO Neil...

The affordable housing sector has lashed out at the President Cyril Ramaphosa-led government saying that, despite another year under its belt, it still has not fixed the bottom-end of the property sector that affects tens of millions of South Africans.This comes as the country heads toward another difficult State of the Nation Address for President Ramaphosa on Thursday evening - in the backdrop of an...

It is business as usual for the property market, despite Expropriation Act of 2024 noise, says Samuel Seeff, the chairman Seeff Property Group.In fact, Seeff says the property market has started this year on a better footing compared to last January following three successive interest rate cuts which have hugely boosted affordability and confidence in the property market.He said that residential property...

The signing of the Expropriation Act into law has been one of the most topical subjects of 2025 so far, with the recently elected US President Donald Trump taking aim at the law on Monday, sending the rand into a tailspin. The main question many South Africans are asking is how the law will impact residential property owners, buyers, sellers, and investors. Samuel Seeff, Chairman of the Seeff...

There is a new trend in hiring activity which showed that there is a demand for Design, Media & Arts professionals has increased by 22% particularly for jobs roles such as Journalism / Writing /Editing and Interior Design.This according to a comparison to hiring activity over the last three months (October, November, December 2024) with the previous three months (July, August, September 2024).This data was...

The South African property market is one of the sectors that could see direct and indirect influence from the policies and global economic shifts triggered by the new United States President Donald Trump.This is according to Adrian Goslett, Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, who said that global politics always has an impact on local markets."While the South African property market is...

An electricity tariff hike, announced on the same day as an interest rate hike has left South Africans no better off than before the latest 25bps announced by the Reserve bank.Even though there have been three consecutive interest rate cuts - the latest of 25bps by the SA Reserve Bank today - affordability is still a major barrier for potential property buyers, according to the Rawson Property Group.The...

The recent response to President Ramaphosa's assenting to the Expropriation Act has sparked significant debate. Critics have expressed concerns, suggesting it may lead to reckless land grabs and an erosion of property rights. Some have framed this as a land seizure law. Potential for Land Grabs: Critics argue that the Act could enable the government to arbitrarily seize land without...