REBOSA CEO Jan le Roux outlines some big issues that the property industry is keeping an eye on:-
1. PROPERTY PRACTITIONERS BILL
The importance of the new Bill cannot be overestimated as it will dictate how the property industry operates for decades to come.
REBOSA has been gearing up to comment on this Bill for some time. We have now submitted detailed comments to the Minister of Human Settlements – in total 108 points of positive criticism. We will continue in this vein; we have requested a meeting with the Minister and for the right to address the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements on this issue.
REBOSA also intends interacting with ANC and opposition parliamentarians as much as possible. The existing Act has been in operation since 1976. We have published the Bill and our comments on our website and started a Q&A column. We invite all agents to submit questions. REBOSA has hosted a number of countrywide road shows to communicate the challenges of the Bill to members of the industry to ensure that everyone is informed.
As an organisation, we are disappointed with the Bill, considering that the process of revamping the legislation started in 2008. Nine years in the making, we hoped that a more dynamic version of the current Bill would have been put on the table.
2. REALIGNMENT OF REAL ESTATE QUALIFICATIONS
The following real estate qualifications are currently registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). They are a core part of the ongoing education, training and professionalisation process of the real estate sector.
• National FET Certificate in Real Estate – SAQA ID 59097 | NQF level 4 | Credits 150
• National Certificate in Real Estate – SAQA ID 20188 | NQF level 5 | Credits 135
Both fall under the occupational qualifications sub-framework. The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) Delegated QA Functionary is the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SSETA). The registration end date for both qualifications is June 30 2018. The last date for enrolment is June 30 2019.
The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) says these qualifications come from previous qualification development models that are still active and therefore need to be taken through a “conversion process”.
Following a meeting to discuss this realignment of qualifications with SSETA and QCTO, REBOSA is now forming a steering committee comprising industry leaders and education professionals to offer input on alternative or new occupational qualifications to replace the current NQF 4 and 5 legacy qualifications within the real estate sector.
