Review and adjust regulations to remove barriers to low-cost housing development
South Africa’s housing development regulations span national, provincial and municipal levels, with legislation like the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) of 2013, National Building Regulations and various municipal by-laws. This creates a complex and lengthy planning and approval process, with building plans often taking up to a year before being approved and…
read more >>Integrated Energy Plan (IEP)
As a result of legal action brought by The Green Connection and SAFCEI against the President and the DMRE minister, government announced in the Gazette of April 2023 its decision to bring Section 6 of National Energy Act (NEA) into operation with effect from 1 April 2024. Section 6 requires the minister to publish an…
read more >>Gas Utilisation Masterplan (GUMP)
The DoEE minister indicated that the plan needs to be reworked following heavy criticism received through public commentary of its first iteration. The goal is to establish baseline information for South Africa’s natural gas development and explaining the Gas Master Plan roadmap. The baseline information provides an overview of the gas value chain and regulatory…
read more >>UPRDA
On 29 October, the President assented to the Upstream Petroleum Rights Development (UPRD) Act. The implementation date is to be determined. There are two separate licensing phases, each governed by ministerial notices, guarantee openness and flexibility by permitting a minimal work commitment and providing an open-door system for potential investors. Additionally, it demonstrates the government’s…
read more >>National Petroleum Company Bill (aka Eskom 2.0)
Early in October 2024, the Cabinet approved submitting the South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) Bill of 2024 to Parliament. The bill establishes the State Petroleum Company, as contemplated in section 34 of the UPRD Act, through a merger of PetroSA, the South African Gas Development Company (iGas) and the Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF). The…
read more >>Redesign the First Home Finance subsidy to increase uptake
FLISP was rebranded to First Home Finance (FHF) in 2023, with subsidies ranging from R38,878 to R169,264, depending on household income. Until 2023, the subsidy had very limited uptake due to the fact that it could only be used to access mortgage finance from commercial banks. Subsequent reforms delinked the subsidy from mortgages. Some significant…
read more >>Introduce a demand-side rental subsidy for affordable housing
South Africa’s rental housing policy framework recognises the growing importance of rental accommodation due to urbanisation, insufficient ownership delivery and mortgage access difficulties. Current rental programmes include Community Residential Units (CRU) for households earning R1,500-R3,500 monthly, social housing for R5,500-R15,000 income brackets, and institutional rental accommodation. The rental housing sector faces significant challenges including inadequate…
read more >>Conduct an audit of under-utilised public properties in metros and secondary cities
South Africa faces a critical housing crisis while simultaneously holding vast public land portfolios that remain under-utilised. The public property audit reform is partially on track, with strong policy support via Operation Vulindlela II and the 2024 White Paper. Early implementation includes 31 property releases valued at R1.4bn, high developer interest and provincial progress (notably…
read more >>Clarify, simplify and streamline regulations and procedures for the release of public land
The current regulatory environment for public land release is characterised by opacity, excessive red tape and complex legal requirements that have prompted many developers to disengage from public land projects. The process typically involves nine complex steps from identification through to development, with significant coordination required across multiple government departments. However, momentum is building with…
read more >>Identify and release nationally-owned land and properties to housing developers for affordable housing
South Africa faces a significant housing backlog estimated at 2.4 million units, with rapid urbanisation increasing demand for affordable housing in well-located urban areas. The public sector owns substantial amounts of vacant and underused land, including properties in desirable locations that could support urban inclusion. However, the release of this land has been extremely slow…
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