South Africa faces a housing backlog of more than 2.6 million units with over 4,000 informal settlements, placing urgent pressure on municipalities to unlock development-ready land, strengthen partnerships, and streamline approval processes.
As such, the Local Government Property Development Summit co-hosted by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF), from 26–27 March 2026 at Focus Rooms, Modderfontein, Sandton, will seek to stimulate solutions to the housing challenge.
The Summit brings together municipalities, developers, financiers, planners, national policymakers and international partners under one roof to fast-track property development and accelerate the delivery of affordable housing.
The Summit will be structured around four strategic focus areas:
- Policy and Regulatory Reform: A high-level national dialogue will focus on modernising Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act, streamlining and accelerating land-use management and development approvals, and repositioning municipalities as proactive enablers – rather than inadvertent obstacles – to sustainable development.
- Strengthening Development Partnerships: Local and international case studies – including Ongos Valley, Conradie Park and Jewel City – will be showcased to illustrate scalable, replicable models for affordable and social housing delivery, and to demonstrate the power of coordinated public–private and community partnerships.
- Financing the Future of Human Settlements: Banks, development finance institutions (DFIs), metropolitan municipalities and private developers will explore innovative financing instruments and blended finance models to unlock land, diversify municipal revenue streams and scale affordable rental and gap housing. This conversation is critical as municipalities face tightening fiscal space and are compelled to grow their own revenues through development-led economic expansion.
- Technology and Climate-Resilient Housing Innovation: With the future of human settlements increasingly smart, green and resilient, the Summit will spotlight innovations emanating from the Innovative Building Technologies Summit, as well as climate-resilient design, modular and off-
Confidential
site construction systems, and other technologies capable of accelerating delivery at scale while reducing environmental risk.
“The reality is that South Africa’s housing backlog, now estimated at 2.6 million units, continues to grow amid rapid urbanisation and the expansion of informal settlements. This underscores the need for urgent, coordinated and systems-based solutions,” states the GPF CEO Lindiwe Kwele. “In this context, the Gauteng Partnership Fund serves as a strategic partner to municipalities, accelerating projects from planning to implementation through innovative financing and development solutions that deliver affordable housing and strengthen the socioeconomic fabric of Gauteng communities.”
According to SALGA CEO Sithole Mbanga, “Municipalities face a complex mix of regulatory bottlenecks, limited well-located land, unlawful land occupation and significant infrastructure backlogs. The government cannot address these challenges alone. Sustainable solutions demand a coordinated, all-of-society response anchored in strong, transparent and accountable public–private partnerships.”
It is anticipated that the Summit will act as a catalyst for scaling up affordable housing delivery, crowding in private and developmental investment, and reshaping South African cities and towns into centres of dignity, inclusion and shared economic opportunity.
Enquiries:
Motalatale Modiba
Cell: 072 515 3022
E-mail: mmodiba@salga.org.za
Ntombenhle Gwina
Cell: 063 771 4181
E-mail: ntombenhlen@gpf.org.za
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