BEN Kodisang, the new president of commercial property association Sapoa, says he wants to be remembered for helping to raise the level of skills in the property industry.
Kodisang, who was elected 2008-09 president at Sapoa’s 40th annual convention in Cape Town, says there is a huge skills shortage in SA. He and Sapoa want to help the industry address the skills shortage.
Kodisang, who is MD of Old Mutual Investment Group Property Investments, one of the largest institutional property owners in the country, says Sapoa will be participating actively in career days at universities to promote the property industry. The organisation also wants to introduce the industry to pupils at schools level.
He will also focus on creating a bursary fund for school pupils who “want to study property-related studies. We will continue with our education drive, and ensure that our (Sapoa’s) property courses are relevant.”
Transformation “is the right thing to do”, he says. “It’s good for SA, and what’s good for the country is good for the property industry. It’s time we shifted our thinking on transformation beyond equity ownership and embraced all elements of our property charter — the development of skills, procurement initiatives, enterprise development and developments in previously disadvantaged areas.
“Migration of skills from one domicile to new destinations is a global phenomenon. We cannot wring our hands in the wake of the xenophobic violence and other circumstances and bemoan opportunities and people lost. We have to compete for foreign capital and remember that investment goes where it is most welcome.”
He also says more property players need to start “thinking seriously” about the environmental effect of developments.
Kodisang says the players need to “think green concepts within plans and respond to what is a growing global demand for green buildings”.
Sapoa CEO Neil Gopal says the organisation welcomes Kodisang’s election. “He comes from a large property-owning institution and it reaffirms Sapoa’s stance on the importance of fulfilling the property owners’ mandates.”
Gopal says Sapoa will launch a property management course next year, as well as two other new training courses.
