Akani April 2020

Property Practitioner Regulations
By EAAB
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Property Practitioners Act into law in
September 2019. The Act seeks to regulate and transform the industry.
However, the Department of Human Settlements has to come up with
regulations which are necessary to give effect to the commencement of the
Act. It is in this context that the Department is calling on Property
Practitioners (Bond Originators, Auctioneers, Trusts, Property Evaluators,
Assessors) and the public at large to comment on the draft regulations to be
published by the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation.The Act
has repealed the Estate Agency Affairs Act 112 of 1976 (EAA Act) in its
entirety. It did so to achieve three primary objects:
To address the slow transformation in the property sector;
To integrate and consolidate all role-players within the property sector
under one umbrella statute; and
To address the deficiencies in what has been a largely ineffective
system of monitoring estate agency matters and protecting consumers
and their trust funds.
The Act is significantly stricter and more far-reaching than its predecessor, the
EAA Act. In light of the serious consequences of non-compliance with the Act,
any person who may fall under the broad definition of “property practitioner”
would be well-advised to seek guidance from a legal practitioner and ensure
strict compliance with the provisions of the Act.
For more information please visit www.eaab.org.za
Competent Persons Breakfast Session in East London
By Samkelo Gqeba
In an effort to forge a closer tie with key stakeholders in the province, the NHBRC Eastern Cape Office
hosted a Home Builder and Developers Business Breakfast Session at Hemingway’s Hotel in East London.
The session was attended by home builders, competent persons and developer’s operating in the Buffalo
City Metropolitan Area. The aim of the engagement was to strengthen the relationships and bridge
communications gaps between the NHBRC and the home builders who are key stakeholder.
The NHBRC was represented by Provincial Manager Mr Ernest Sonnenberg, Administration Department,
Provincial Engineer, Inspectorate and Training Officer. The Provincial Manager opened the session with a
high level presentation on the NHBRC’s mandate and valuable final products (VFP’s).Topics presented at
the session were, engineering and Training opportunities for emerging contractors, women, youth, military
veterans and people living with disabilities. The home builders and engineers used the platform to voice
their input and concern in connection with enrolment fees and engineering related matters.