Macpherson’s plan to transform vacant land offers economic opportunity

By Johnathan Paoli

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has unveiled an ambitious plan to put dormant assets to productive use, by leasing state-owned properties to private investors.

The South African government currently holds an extensive portfolio of unused properties, amounting to 1259 vacant land parcels, 207 unoccupied houses and 830 abandoned farms.

“Those properties belong to the public and we need to start getting public good out of them. We want to test the market to see how we can work in conjunction with development in some commercial aspects to develop those properties so that we can start getting some money and operate it as a property portfolio, generate money, jobs and an annuity income for the state,” Macpherson said.

These properties, which cost taxpayers R65 million in rates and taxes last year alone, represent a significant untapped resource that could be leveraged to address the country’s pressing