SOUTH AFRICA
On this page you can find AHI activities/ projects, AHI weblogs/ blog posts, and resources.
Activities - Blogs - Resources
2006, November 17, Pretoria, South Africa
Workshop on tax credits
Activities: Presentation
At the request of the South African National Treasury, and along with AHI affiliates Kecia Rust and Marja Hoek-Smit, as well as South African housing expert Dan Smit, and Soula Proxenos, formerly of Fannie Mae IHFS and now with Howard Housing Solutions, AHI's founder David Smith gave a presentation on investment tax credits as an affordable housing production fiscal incentive. In his talk, David emphasized that:
- Investment tax credits as a tool but before they are introduced, government must be precise about the affordable housing problem it is seeking to solve.
- As soft equity, tax credits are a unique form of money with peripheral benefits, some of which cannot be replicated by appropriated programs.
- Tax credits as a tool work best if a country already has a particular existing suite of tools, and in concert with those tools.
- Program design should precede feasibility analysis.
2005, September, South Africa
Rural Housing Loan Fund and African Microfinance Conference
Activities: Presentation
David Porteous spoke on Housing Microfinance at the second African Microfinance Conference in Cape Town from 29 August - 1 September. His presentation is available here. The talk was reported in the South African business press, which picked up the fact that housing microfinance was growing in importance as urbanization continued apace throughout Africa. In the talk, Porteous called for scalable solutions to housing finance needs of poor urban people, and pointed to some emerging examples of new generation housing microfinance such as the Cemex Patrimonio Hoy program in Mexico and CODI slum upgrading processes in Thailand.
2004/2005, South Africa
South Africa National Treasury
Activities: Program design
Reviewed proposals from private sector for the design of a large scale mortgage finance risk sharing and facilitation process, known as Project Sizwe, to enable and enhance the input of National Treasury into the negotiations around Project Sizwe, which is a key part of the country's Financial Sector Charter.
2004, November, South Africa
Rockefeller Foundation (www.rockfound.org)
Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS - www.jchs.harvard.edu)
Activities: Key meetings
South Africa, Johannesburg: AHI Founder David Smith and AHI Managing Director David Porteous, in a continuing partnership with Harvard's JCHS, visited South Africa to secure the participation of some of the country's top housing officials for ambitious international conference focusing on affordable housing delivery in four emerging countries. The trip was highly successful, and AHI looks forward to a productive conference in the Spring of 2005.
2003, December South Africa
Banking Council (www.banking.org.za)
Activities: National gaps assessment, stakeholder symposium, program design
As part of the banking sector's implementation of the landmark Financial Sector Charter, developed and facilitated a two-day workshop convening roughly 30 stakeholders from across the banking sector. Participants identified over 20 interventions - competitive, collaborative, partnering with government, or government-inaugurated - that could help the financial sector deliver R20 billion into affordable housing over the next five years. Details here.
2003, June, South Africa
Finmark Trust (www.finmark.org.za)
Activities: Stakeholder education, National Gaps Assessment, Program Design
Preparation and delivery of a concept paper illustrating how Tax Relief Incentives (TRI's) - that is, fiscal incentives sold for cash via equity syndication - can be used as a tool to promote affordable housing. Analysis of the urban regeneration tax initiative (URTI) proposed in the South African Revenue Service (SARS) FY 04 budget proposal, and recommendations for improvements thereto. Paper available here.
2003, January, South Africa
Finmark Trust (www.finmark.org.za)
Activities: Stakeholder education
Preparation and delivery of four small workshop-style briefings (to a total of 35 national opinion-makers) on affordable housing, production incentives, the role of soft debt and soft equity, and the use of fiscal instruments such as tax credits to stimulate production of affordable housing.
Weblog by AHI’s Kecia Rust
Blog Posts (from newer to older)
Zondi on Developing-world poverty
Lending collateral: The quadruplet borrowers, Part 1
Advancing the bankability frontiers
The rising tide strands some boats
The Affordable Housing Ecosystem: American & other creatures
Comparison by AHI of the United states, United Kingdon and South Africa.
"Fusion Countries: The best target for affordable housing initiatives?"
South Africa as a nation where most affordable housing benefit can be delivered.
South Africa: Using Tax-Relief Incentives (TRI's) to Stimulate Affordable Housing
Report was prepared with commentary on the proposed Urban Regeneration Tax Initiative for FinMark Trust, Ltd., by the Affordable Housing Institute.
A new housing policy and strategy for South Africa, 1994
Housing White Paper
The Kuyasa Fund
Cape Town based non-profit organisation uses microfinance to improve housing conditions for poor people in the Western Cape.
Nurcha
Non-profit construction finance company providing bridging loans for builders and developers of affordable housing.
Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC)
Cape Town-based support provider to networks of urban and rural poor communities.