JSE-listed property investor Growthpoint Properties has launched an unlisted, purpose-built student accommodation real estate investment trust (Reit) named the Growthpoint Student Reit. The trust, which was launched in December 2021, has acquired a R2-billion seed portfolio and has been approved by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

The state of local public sector infrastructure has been declining for years, while private sector infrastructure has not kept pace with international trends. This infrastructure could be upgraded by the private sector if it were given the chance to grow; however, an “adversarial” relationship between the public and private sectors persists, states construction company M&D Construction CEO Rukesh Raghubir. “Policies adopted by the State and the way in which they are being implemented are not aligned with the private sector, which is driven by profit, low-cost production, economies of scale and sustainability. Private capital flows are, therefore, being diverted from South Africa to other countries that have favorable economic and political landscapes that support business imperatives.”

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter reports that the tender evaluation for Phase 1 of the utility’s battery energy storage systems (BESS) project has been completed and that he expects the final approvals to be in place in February. Speaking during a briefing on the state of the system on Thursday, De Ruyter expressed enthusiasm for the project, which he said would be the first large-scale deployment of grid-tied batteries in South Africa.

South Africa has made faltering progress toward implementing plans announced more than two years ago to procure additional power needed to swiftly address crippling energy shortages. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy first issued a request for information from potential electricity suppliers in December 2019. A year later it listed 28 interested bidders, and in 2021 it chose the winners of contracts to generate about 2,000 megawatts of capacity under its so-called Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.