Unlocking land & capital to fix SA’s housing crisis

• South Africa’s housing future depends on unlocking land, infrastructure funding and scalable green residential development.
• Panelists warned that affordable housing delivery cannot scale without stronger public-private collaboration and faster approvals.
• Sustainability, resilient building materials and blended finance models are becoming central to future residential development.

One of the standout conversations at the 2026 Reside Summit & Awards 2026 focused on one of South Africa’s biggest property sector challenges: how to unlock scalable residential development in a market constrained by land, infrastructure bottlenecks and limited access to capital.

The panel discussion titled “Unlocking Land, Unlocking Capital: Driving Scalable, Sustainable Residential Development in SA” brought together leading voices from sustainability, infrastructure, development finance and construction materials to unpack what is required to accelerate housing delivery across the country.

The session was moderated by Len van Niekerk, founder of CanDoo and featured:

• Georgina Smit, CEO of Green Building Council of SA
• Kushinga Kambarami, Green and Resilient Built Environment Lead for Africa, IFC/World Bank
• Roelof Jacobs, Head Technical: Cementitious, Afrimat

The discussion highlighted a stark reality: South Africa’s housing demand continues growing, yet delivery remains constrained by a combination of weak municipal infrastructure, rising development costs, slow approvals, funding limitations and sustainability pressures.

Housing delivery cannot scale without land reform & infrastructure

‍A key theme throughout the discussion was that unlocking residential development is not simply about building more houses — it is about unlocking an entire ecosystem.

Panelists stressed that access to well-located land, functioning infrastructure and predictable municipal processes remain among the biggest barriers facing developers.

Georgina Smit said South Africa cannot continue treating sustainability as an optional extra in housing delivery. Instead, resilient, energy-efficient and environmentally responsible developments need to become part of mainstream residential planning.

She noted that sustainability is increasingly linked to affordability, long-term operational efficiency and investor confidence.

As utility costs rise and infrastructure deteriorates, green building principles are becoming commercially necessary rather than purely environmentally desirable.

Capital flows are shifting toward resilience

‍From a funding perspective, Kushinga Kambarami highlighted how global capital markets are increasingly prioritising resilient and sustainable developments.

Institutional investors and development finance institutions are placing greater emphasis on:

• ESG compliance
• Climate resilience
• Energy efficiency
• Water security
• Long-term infrastructure sustainability

Kambarami explained that developers who fail to align with these global capital trends may increasingly struggle to secure funding in the years ahead.

He also pointed to the growing need for blended finance models where public and private sector capital work together to unlock affordable and mixed-income housing opportunities at scale.

The conversation repeatedly returned to the importance of creating investment certainty.

Without policy stability, infrastructure reliability and faster approval systems, South Africa risks losing both local and international development capital.

Construction costs remain under pressure

‍Roelof Jacobs addressed the mounting pressure facing the construction sector, particularly around material costs, infrastructure instability and the need for more innovative building solutions.

He highlighted the growing importance of durable, cost-efficient and sustainable building materials as developers attempt to balance affordability with long-term performance.

The conversation also explored how alternative construction methods and improved material innovation could help accelerate delivery timelines while reducing lifecycle costs.

With developers under increasing pressure to deliver affordable units while maintaining profitability, construction efficiency is rapidly becoming one of the sector’s most critical competitive advantages.

Public & Private sector alignment is critical

‍One of the strongest messages emerging from the panel was that South Africa cannot solve its housing backlog through government or private developers acting independently.

The panelists agreed that meaningful progress requires:

• Faster municipal approvals
• Infrastructure partnerships
• Private sector investment confidence
• Smarter urban planning
• Integrated transport connectivity
• Scalable funding mechanisms
• Long-term policy certainty

The discussion also highlighted the importance of densification and mixed-use precinct development as cities grapple with rapid urbanisation and affordability pressures.

Rather than continuing unsustainable urban sprawl, future housing delivery will increasingly depend on integrated urban nodes located close to transport routes, employment centres and social infrastructure.

Sustainability is becoming a commercial imperative

‍A major shift highlighted during the session was the growing commercialisation of sustainability.

Green building is no longer viewed purely as a compliance or environmental exercise. Instead, energy resilience, backup infrastructure, water efficiency and lower operating costs are increasingly influencing:

• Investor decisions
• Tenant demand
• Development finance approvals
• Asset valuations
• Long-term occupancy performance

This trend is expected to intensify as municipalities continue struggling with infrastructure delivery and utility costs continue escalating.

Looking ahead

‍The panel concluded that South Africa’s residential development sector stands at a critical inflection point.

The country’s long-term housing demand remains enormous, but scalable delivery will require a far more coordinated approach between government, financiers, developers, infrastructure providers and sustainability experts.

The future of residential development in South Africa will not simply depend on building more housing units.

It will depend on unlocking:

• Land
• Infrastructure
• Capital
• Sustainability
• Innovation
• Investor confidence

Most importantly, it will depend on whether South Africa can create a development environment capable of delivering affordable, resilient and scalable housing solutions fast enough to meet growing urban demand.

The conversation at Reside Summit 2026 made one thing abundantly clear: the opportunity is enormous, but so is the urgency.

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