Pareto's GCEO becomes the president of SAPOA

Malose Kekana, newly elected president of South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA)

Being the industry representative for an estimated 90% of the country’s commercial and industrial real estate companies, SAPOA’s mandate is to continuously endeavour to represent, protect and advance its members’ interests – and in doing so, maximise its level of activity within the sector, thus cementing its commitment to the realisation of a more vibrant, globally competitive industry.

Kekana takes the reigns from Andrew König on the back of the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which severely disrupted financial markets and the real economy worldwide, as well as the July unrest of 2021, which particularly affected the property sector negatively.

“We find ourselves in a period that is characterised by the volatile and unpredictable business environment, where most industries, including the property sector, experienced margin contraction and diminishing incomes,” said Kekana during his address.

“Now, more than ever, collaboration and partnership with communities within which we operate becomes important. This is the only way that the sustainability of the property sector can be guaranteed,” continued Kekana.

He closed by emphasising that shared community values should be central to new way of doing business.

The SAPOA CEO Neil Gopal added: “This role recognises Mr Kekana’s commitment to the industry, his accomplishments, leadership skills and visionary outlook, which are highly respected. His valuable contributions through industry knowledge and experience have undoubtedly led the success of the organisation. I have no doubt that his ongoing contributions to SAPOA will ensure that the property industry will continue to grow from strength to strength.”