Western Cape Property Development Forum (WCPDF)

The Western Cape Property Development Forum’s Annual Conference is going online this year, “extending” its boundaries to the rest of South Africa. This event also offers CPD points for planners, as well as for quantity surveyors, architects, project managers, surveyors and civil engineers.

Under the theme “Vision for Growth”, the conference (20 and 21 May) aims to reconcile the private and public sectors at a critical time in our economic survival. Even before Covid-19, the South African property development and construction industries had already been severely impacted by the country’s negative economic context, vast political and structural uncertainties and endless bureaucratic red tape. The pandemic resulted in further collapse.

However, while previous WCPDF conferences have become renown for challenging government, the key focus this year is to move the current debate away from an economic-crisis focus to that of an opportunity for growth, and we are very excited by the number of prominent speakers, facilitators and panelists from across the private and public sector who have agreed to be part of the lineup – clearly demonstrating a desire for these sectors to come together.

This is an aim to unite these sectors to explore best practice examples of public private partnerships in order to find ways to unlock the economy together and, most importantly, create jobs. While the conference is aimed at the property development and construction industries, it is also attracting investment agencies, financial institutions and the legal fraternity: all crucial roleplayers in the Built Environment.

Among the keynote speakers, facilitators and panelists are:

• Prof Nick Binedell: Gordon Institute of Business Science (University of Pretoria)
• Prof Miriam Altman: South African economist, strategist and social activist
• Lekha Allopi: Project Executive – Development Planning, eThekwini Municipality
• Prof Brian Kantor: Economist & former Chief Investment Strategist of Investec Wealth and Investment SA
• Prof Bonang Mohale (former CEO, Business Leadership South Africa)
• Cas Coovadia (CEO Business Unity South Africa and past MD of The Banking Association SA)
• Andrew Boraine (CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership)
• Adam Ashraf (CEO Mandela Bay Development Agency and Board Member, SA Cities Network),
• City of Cape Town’s Alderman James Vos (Mayoral Member for Economic Opportunities, Tourism & Asset Management) as well as Kevin Jacoby (Chief Financial Officer)
• John Matthews (CEO, Garden Cities; Chairperson CASA and immediate past President of Master Builders South Africa)
• Vikashnee Harbhajan (Executive Director of Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal)

The link to the conference website in order to see the full programme and to register is: https://sbs.co.za/wcpdf2021/

Click here to access the WCPDF Virtual Conference Flier