Dear {{contact.first_name}}

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived!

The 2024 national elections are here! The opportunity to play our part in turning South Africa around through electing better leaders for our country.

All the political parties are vying for attention and the projected election results are as varied as our rainbow nation. Who will lead us in the next phase of our democracy?

I believe we need to focus on PURPOSE over POLITICS as we elect people to run this country.

Politics is defined as:

1. The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power.

2. Activities aimed at improving someone's status or increasing power within an organization or area.

Thus, if politics is by definition focused on the power, status and ambitions of a few, how can these ambitions be aligned with the needs of the many who are then subject to the power plays and whims of the ruling political party/s?

Though many have been calling for political change for some time, this is the first election we have had where there are new emerging parties with dynamic younger leaders at the helm.

This gives urban voters, in particular, the choice to put their hopes and votes behind a new generation of parties some with excellent economic and social policies.

This shift in focus to purpose and values is what we need to focus on to move us forward.

After all in any organization you first need the why, then the who and then lastly the how.

We know how to run a competent government, look at Cape Town vs other areas. AI, our brightest minds and international best practice can figure out the rest.

But we cannot be driven by ideology, racial politics or selfish power grabbing ambitions. That narrow-minded focus is what has given us our troubled past.

Let us, as South Africans, focus not on what divides us or makes us different from each other, but rather on who and what we want to become as a nation and a people.

Lets all do our part to go and vote and then to build a nation of heroes that we all hope to leave to our children.

If you're not sure what each party stands for, check out the excellent election guide below from Daily Maverick.

Elections 2024 Your voting day questions answered.

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Chairman's Report

Purpose over politics in the property sector.

This past month we have had one, if not the most, direct political interferences we have ever seen in the Property industry in South Africa.

The Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) says despite precedents set in the past, level 8 BEE compliance is now non-negotiable for all real estate agencies with a turnover of more than R2.5 million.

Jan Le Roux CEO of Real Estate business owners of South Africa ( REBOSA) said this is a major concern, especially for small businesses, sole proprietorships, “one-man bands or mom-and-pop shops,” as he calls them because it amounts to more than 50% black ownership.

This is a move which will no doubt be challenged in court and quite likely be proven legally unenforceable and unconstitutional in months and years to come.

But it has many in the industry upset, scared and panicked. And with good reason.

This a commission-based industry. There are few salaried positions.

As such it is more of a business partnership between the property practitioner and the company than formal employment.

If all larger firms need to be BEE compliant, it means race and not excellence or competence becomes the defining factor in economic participation in the industry...

How can a one person business with a white owner suddenly be excluded from the industry they have practiced in for years?

Must they undergo the reverse of Michael Jacksons operations... or do what Leon Schuster did in Mr. Bones...

As ridiculous as this sounds, it is sadly not a joke and no laughing matter.

How can a person be penalized and or punished for their race in 2024... ?

It seems the ghosts of Apartheid past are not only in the halls but running the show.

Next they might be going after plumbers or doctors or who knows which profession could be next.

This is political interference, with politicians lording their power over both the population and the economy in its most blatant and unsustainable form.

I will be the first to tell you the industry does need to be transformed, from the inside and outside, but not by overbearing regulation. The way to go would be from the bottom up, by empowering those in the industry that do business in a morally sound way and serve their clients and the public through excellence in their craft while complying with reasonable rules and regulations.

This industry is very hard. You need patience, endurance, people skills, financial skills, legal skills, marketing skills, sales skills, the ability to support yourself for prolonged periods and all of that with no guarantees of success or reward.

This is not a stable, high-paying government job.

The property industry is one of the most entrepreneurial economic environments around with unlimited potential income, but no guarantees of any kind either.

Rules should always be the minimum standard. But unjust rules and corrupt rulers destroy all trust. Sadly this move is taking the industry into a very antagonistic relationship with the PPRA.

I believe this is the the time the industry needs to start believing in a greater purpose and holding itself to higher standards from the inside out.

A move away from the zero sum game mindset, focusing only on income and transactions, with companies constantly focused on gaining market share and controlling the most mandates etc.

We need to stand and work together to serve our clients and stay relevant in an ever changing world.

The property sector is one of the most important industries in any country. It literally puts the roof over our heads, it is where all economic activity happens.

The responsibility to empower and serve the right talented entrants into the market is crucial and needs to be structurally supported and enabled, not through top-down regulation, but through collaboration and driven by purpose.

Ultimately the decisions and power in every property transaction lies with the property owners/ landlords. They will decide who they work with and who they trust.

No amount of rules can force them to work with anyone they do not want to.

Here's to building a bright property future together.

Yours in property.

Jacques Grove

Principal and Dreamer