A property developer is helping South Africans earning under R22 000 a month access an “underutilised” government housing subsidy to assist those wishing to become first-time homeowners. 

The government’s Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) helps qualifying first-time buyers caught in the “gap” sector -- those who historically earned too little to buy property – with financial support. 

Property expert Toni Enderli, said FLISP subsidies, combined with the lowest interest rates in 50 years, transfer duty relief and higher home loan rate approvals, mean many families who rent may now be able to buy into the affordable housing bracket for the first time. 

Responding to reports of bureaucratic challenges in accessing FLISP subsidies, Enderli says International Housing Solutions (IHS) -- developers of the entry-level, innovative and eco-friendly, gated community, Ihlathi, in Parklands, Cape Town -- has appointed dedicated FLISP agents to help. 

“Many who qualify are not accessing FLISP funding due to various challenges. Our FLISP team is helping them buy their first home in Ihlathi by taking away the administrative pain,” said Enderli. 

Realtor of Excellence’s development sales director, Wayne Lawson, said: “Low interest rates, no transfer duty or fees, higher loan rate approvals, attractive entry-level offerings and FLISP subsidies offer unprecedented opportunities to prospective home buyers.

“Monthly repayments for one-bedroom units (priced from R699 999) at Ihlathi are under R5 500 per month, compared to R7 500 a month to rent a similar space.” Two-bedroomed units start from R779 999 and three-bedroom units from R1 249 999, he added.

IHS’s SA MD, Rob Wesselo, said Ihlathi is Green Building council-certified, includes solar geysers, fibre-ready internet, and 24-hr security monitoring. “In addition to affordability, you’re buying into a safe, secure and ideally located community on a green belt. This value is unprecedented,” he added.

To see if you qualify, call Ihlathi’s FLISP specialist, Ayeshia on 082-871-6799 or visit http://ihlathiparklands.co.za/, or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• For sales, call Samantha 064-684-5507 or Bronwyn 082-770-0463 or Jason 079-625-5057 or Liezl 066-347-1686.
• For media queries, contact Bianca on 064-658-2799 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Craig on 083-463-1827.

By Devan Moonsamy – CEO the ICHAF Training Institute

Some of you may know how difficult it is to deal with real estate agents, and how hopeless one can feel when searching for a home to rent or buy. Sometimes it feels like unless you are standing in front of them with cash or an approved bond in hand you are almost invisible to them. It’s no exaggeration to say that some are sharks.

They don’t phone you back, they don’t reply to emails, they don’t seem interested in serving clients. That’s not to say all real estate agents are bad, some of very helpful. But there does seem to be an overall poor level of customer service. Perhaps because of the nature of the industry, it allows room for unethical practices.

Myself, colleagues and friends of mine have simply heart-breaking stories to tell about how dazed, hopeless and insulted we have felt trying to find a place to buy or rent. Very few real estate agents stay in contact and treat you like a human being.

A friend in Cape Town couldn’t help laughing when she read that a place 3km from the coast is, “A stone’s throw from the beach.” When questioned about this, the agent said that’s advertised for “the people from Joburg”. Apparently, Joburgers can’t tell the difference between 30m and 3 000m… One can’t believe the lies!

But there is more to this story, much more. It’s not just about lousy service and obscuring the truth. It really feels like there is racism adding to the problem. In fact, we know there is racism looking at the evidence.

For example, in Cape Town, one real estate agency advertises on its fliers that they are not racist. They explicitly state that they don’t discriminate on the basis of colour against people applying to buy in a new development. Why on earth should they feel the need to state this in their advertising?

People must be communicating bad experiences to them, experiences of being racially profiled and ignored for having a dark skin. Seeing the struggles of these folk, they explicitly advertise not to worry about this when dealing with them. On the one hand, it is a good selling point. How do real estate agents hope to make sales by ignoring over 80% of the population? On the other hand, it is a kindness of them, considering how much racism others seem to be getting away with.

It’s shocking, but not entirely unexpected when I place it in the context of my own recent experiences in trying to find a property. I have faced similar discrimination when travelling as a tourist, when shopping, and in the workplace. It may be easier for me personally to see when racism is happening because I compare it to how my white companions, especially my long-time white partner, are treated compared to me – sometimes when we are in the same room.

Various demographics almost always play a role. Young single men of all races have also related how difficult it is to find a place to rent. Why? It seems because they are male, and landlords and ladies prefer female tenants or couples. But preferably without children and pets of course.

Recently, someone gave an excellent review to a young gentleman looking for a new place. The previous landlady was very happy with him. But no matter how well she spoke about him, he kept getting turned away. If we add to this the requirement that tenants and buyers be white, it must narrow the market tremendously.

Ideally, the focus should be on who needs housing most. A decent home to live in shouldn’t be a luxury, and the property market should be needs driven. Still, many factors combine to make it difficult for the ordinary South African to secure a decent, affordable roof over their heads.

There is another inconsistency: most real estate agents are white. I didn’t deal with a single coloured, Indian or black agent in Cape Town while looking for a place. Having monitored the property market for the right place over more than two years, my employee from Cape Town also reports having dealt with just one non-white agent.

Real estate agencies have too firm a hold on property and the trends that affect it. Many people are being locked out of the market by excessive prices, the nightmare of dealing with agents, and discrimination. One factor that comes into play is that many previously whites-only areas are still largely dominated by white people. Integration takes time certainly. However, white agents have a firm hold on the property market in certain areas. They have the power to prevent non-whites from accessing housing in these neighbourhoods. All they have to do is ignore prospective non-white tenants and buyers. White agents may be overly protective of the white areas they live and work in.

It’s something which is very hard to prove of course, and it’s very hard to enforce non-discriminatory practices in an industry which is already so open to abuse.

A further question I have is why buyers can’t find private sellers and thus get around agents. There doesn’t seem to be any website or other forms of advertising for private buyers and sellers. Who is squashing this market and how are they doing so? There must be a way to remove the middle person and thus reduce costs in the housing market.

In conclusion, I would like to point out solutions to some of these problems. The government has announced the launch of its Megacities projects and various related programmes aimed specifically at helping the millions who are struggling to access housing and basic services.

What is encouraging is the Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP). It is specifically aimed at first-time home buyers who are stuck in “real estate limbo”. These are people who don’t meet the criteria for RDP housing, but who also can’t afford bond repayments. It provides this large but underserved group a chance at owning their own property.

I urge readers to find out more about the FLISP and Megacities projects to see if they meet the requirements. It looks to be a fantastic opportunity for many South Africans to finally break the chains around the real estate market.

For more information on Devan Moonsamy and The ICHAF Training Institute please visit:
Website - http://www.ichaftraining.co.za/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheICHAFTrainingInstitute/?ref=br_rs
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheIchaf
ENDS
For further comment from Devan Moonsamy you can email him on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact him on 083 303 9159

 

South Africa, July 03, 2017 - Propelled by the successful launch of the Government Directory in 2008, African Directory Services (Pty) Ltd has now expanded its offerings for clients who want to attract consumers from various corners of the African continent efficiently.

The in-demand and well-known Government Directory offers insight into the best of business and government in the African soil. This first-hand and exclusive directory is the best of its kind and has been connecting businesses and government for many years running with the aim to enhance local and international integration to allow for better intra and inter governments’ communication. 

This state-of-the-art form of advertising attracts business deals, partnerships, brand awareness and new clients for its advertisers. The Government Directory puts businesses and government on the map and makes them accessible to millions of users, local, national and international.

The latest news, reviews, projects, tenders, vacancies and contact information can be found on the Government Directory and businesses have the opportunity to connect and network with over 5000 government institutions, instantly. With an annual print and directory in discs of 30k and over 5 million users, this is the ideal platform to showcase and advertise your business.

This Government Directory allows businesses to get instant “request for quotes” messages direct to their inbox and increase traffic to their sites and social media pages with email and web links. Advertisers are able to include images, logos, products/service offerings, keywords, maps, special offers and more. For more information or if you have any inquiries simply click here.

About Government Directory of Southern Africa

The Government Directory is officially powered by African Directory Services (Pty) Ltd – We are Africa’s largest and most reputable publisher of business and government institutions since the year 2000.

Issued by African Directory Services (Pty) Ltd

Contact us:

Tel

• 0860 3663 87
• +27 (0) 11 3336803

Fax

• 086 556 8441
• +27 (0) 11 3336826

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.               

Web:

• www.adslive.com
• www.government.co.za

As the pace of digital transformation increases, so does the frequency of high profile security incidents and information leaks. This often prompts complex and costly responses, as those who have suffered security breaches – and those who are trying to avoid them – seek ways to manage their exposures and comply with a plethora of industry standards, best practices and government regulations.

Joint silver sponsors at the 6th IT Leaders Africa Summit, SLVA and Ubusha will explore the mechanisms you could use to ensure a secure information-processing environment during their workshop presented by Kris Budnik, Managing Director for SLVA Information Security.

Attendees will hear how they can maximise existing capabilities and leverage the emerging wave of enterprise security technologies that tip the balance away from cyber-criminals and dishonest employees.

SLVA and Ubusha’s holistic response to minimising information security risks requires the ability to:

-Understand and manage who has access to information and systems within your environment and what they are able to do with such access

-Track and have the capability to influence the way that data is accessed, processed and shared within your environment

-Maintain oversight over that environment – ensuring that it remains reliable and free from vulnerabilities which may be exploited to bypass your access control and data governance policies  

Please note that the cut off date for applications to present a workshop at the IT Leaders Africa Summit is the 27th of February 2015.  

During these 60 minute educational workshops, leading industry vendors present their solutions and services in case study format to attending CIOs and IT Heads. Each session is limited to 15 delegates in order to encourage debate and discussion. The workshops are scheduled in advance as the topics are marketed to CIOs and business leaders during the build up to the Summit.  

For IT Leaders Africa Summit brochure advertising opportunities, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   The 6th IT Leaders Africa Summit takes place on 18 & 19 March 2015 at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.

{pp}The Eskom debacle is a prime example of what happens when there is no competition and the government of the day has socialist leanings wanting to centralize everything to consolidate its power.