The South African Institute of Black Property Practitioners (SAIBPP) aims to nurture young people to become property leaders and professionals. The organisation also provides property education and coaching and matches talented students to internship opportunities with corporates.
Nthabiseng Makgabo, Asset Manager at Respublica, was part of the first cohort to benefit from the SAIBPP Bursary Fund in 2013. The SAIBPP Bursary Fund gave Makgabo the opportunity to study towards a BSc Property Studies Degree at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Her duties include doing market research, compliance administration, debt raising and carrying out reporting on student residences among numerous other duties. “There’s a lot to learn and it’s a rewarding profession with so many different career options. Property affects our lives every day, impacting on how we live and work and interact with each other, so it’s an interesting field to work in. Property is also a great investment vehicle because it appreciates in value, one can get a second bond on it and it promotes generational wealth,” said Makgabo.
Makgabo is also the Head of SAIBPP’s Young Professionals Forum. Launched earlier this year, the Young Professionals Forum consists of 1000 students studying property-related courses, as well as property entrepreneurs and professionals. The forum’s student members are from several student chapters, including the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo.
“The forum’s aim is to drive transformation within the property industry by giving its members valuable skills, knowledge and guidance about the property industry. It aims to drive the careers of its members in various ways, such as running diverse conversations on the property industry. Part of these engagements are weekly webinars by industry experts to promote career growth and management while providing them with the relevant skills to navigate the sector,” explained Makgabo.
Topics of webinars include entrepreneurship, employment and career growth, how to participate in the property industry and how to go about buying property, among numerous other themes. Furthermore, the forum also links students to property professionals who become their mentors, clarifying any coursework they don’t understand, informing them on how various systems work and guiding them on how to handle themselves in meetings.
Slindele Msibi from Piet Retief in Mpumalanga is also a SAIBPP Bursary Fund beneficiary. She is currently doing her honours in Property Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. Last year, Msibi was chairperson of the SAIBPP Wits Students Chapter. She organised events where industry role players, such as real estate developers, architects and valuers, spoke to students about various property-related issues to help them on their journey in the sector.
Her work also involved organising a mini-mentorship programme so students can better understand the industry before venturing into it.
