Development Action Group

14/10/2026

Congratulations to Emeritus Associate Professor François Viruly on receiving the SAPOA Lifetime Achievement Award. 🤝🏅

The Development Action Group (DAG) celebrates this recognition of Prof Viruly’s enduring impact on South Africa’s property sector and his longstanding contribution to the field.

Prof Viruly has been a valued friend and partner of DAG, and a fervent supporter of the Contractor and Developer Academy (CDA). Since 2022, he has served as the convenor of DAG’s Small-Scale Developers Training Programme (SSDP), a programme that aims to equip township property developers with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in property development. Through this programme, Prof Viruly has consistently used his expertise and network connections to strengthen the capacity of small-scale developers. The programme has trained over 70 small-scale developers since 2022 and Prof. Viruly has played a key mentoring role to all participants.

His contribution to the programme reflects a broader commitment to a South African property market that recognises and responds to the realities of the majority of the country’s households and entrepreneurs.

As Prof Viruly would always say, “Micro-developers are not the side show. They are thee property market.”

This perspective is central to the work of the Contractor and Developer Academy. Small-scale developers already play an important role in responding to the demand for affordable accommodation, creating livelihoods and building assets in communities that have historically been underserved by formal property markets.
These developers continue to face significant barriers, including access to finance and properly packaged land, regulatory processes and the broader institutional environment.

Prof Viruly’s research and advocacy have helped draw attention to the need for a property ecosystem that enables small-scale developers to participate, grow and contribute to affordable housing delivery.

Through his involvement with CDA, Prof Viruly has shown his commitment to ensuring that property market in South Africa works for everyone, that it works in the townships, and that no one is left behind.

For DAG, his contribution represents an important connection between research, professional practice and grassroots development. It demonstrates the value of bringing academia, practitioners, civil society and emerging developers together to reshape how we understand and develop the property market.

We are grateful for Prof Viruly’s continued friendship, generosity and commitment to a more inclusive and accessible property sector.

Congratulations, Prof Viruly, on this well-deserved recognition. We look forward to continuing the work of building a property market where opportunity extends across the property ladder, and where small-scale developers are recognised as an important part of the sector and its future.

28/09/2026

🏗️ What does it really mean to be tender-ready?

On the 19th of September, in partnership with the City of Cape Town, DAG's Contractor and Developer Academy (CDA), brought together more than 90 participants in-person and online for a Tender Readiness Masterclass on Land Release for Small-Scale Developers.

Held in a hybrid format at Co-Lab Training Solutions in Woodstock, Cape Town, the masterclass brought together CDA alumni, emerging developers, property owners and sector stakeholders to explore what it takes to move from recognising an opportunity to being prepared to pursue it.

With the City of Cape Town's emerging Land Release for Affordable Rental Flats programme as the backdrop, the day explored the practical building blocks of developer readiness, namely:

📍 Land & opportunity - We explored the City's emerging land-release approach and what developers need to consider before bidding.

🏙️ Planning support - The City of Cape Town's Local Planning Support team unpacked how developers can access planning, architectural, concept-testing and development guidance, and emphasised the importance of engaging early.

📑 Business & tax compliance - SARS provided practical guidance on maintaining business and tax compliance, including a focus on company returns, tax obligations and the importance of keeping documentation up to date.

💰 Finance & feasibility - Participants unpacked the considerations that shape financiers’ decisions, such as realistic construction costs, market demand, equity, cash flow, creditworthiness and the ability of a project to sustain its financing.

🤝 Professional support - We underscored the importance of working with the right planners, architects, quantity surveyors, contractors and other professionals throughout the development process.

One message came through consistently - Don't wait until the tender is advertised to become ready!

The masterclass also demonstrated the value of creating spaces where developers can engage directly with government, finance and built-environment professionals, ask difficult questions and share their experiences.

As DAG continues to strengthen our CDA alumni network, we look forward to creating more opportunities for practical learning, peer exchange and meaningful engagement across the small-scale development ecosystem.

Thank you to all our speakers, partners, participants and the CDA alumni community for making the session such a rich and engaged conversation. 🙌🏾

16/09/2026

What do we really mean when we say a home is “affordable”? 🏘

In Cape Town, the answer isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.

A new opinion piece by DAG’s Luther Jubane asks what our definitions of affordability tell us about who gets to live in the city - and what it could mean for 1,000 households to access homes in Granger Bay.

Read the full piece below.

South Africa’s R34,400 affordable-housing income threshold may exclude most households.

11/09/2026

🌱 “The people you are leading are trusting you.”

That was one of the powerful reminders shared as DAG’s 2026 Active Citizens Training Course reached its final chapter.

Over the past several months, community leaders from across the Western Cape have journeyed together through four modules, building their knowledge, sharing experiences and learning from one another along the way. The final module marked a powerful culmination of that journey, equipping participants with practical tools and renewed confidence to put their learning into practice in their communities.

From understanding how government works, to learning how to read and engage with municipal budgets, participants explored where decisions are made, when to intervene, and how to make informed demands for their communities.

DAG Project Coordinator, Akhona Siswana, challenged participants to think beyond today, encouraging them to reimagine neighbourhoods, transport systems and public spaces that are safer, cleaner and more functional for generations to come.

And, as Banathi from SANCO Atlantis reminded the group: “Take this information back to your communities. Don’t sit on it.”

The seeds of active citizenship planted back in March are beginning to bud. 🌱

As graduation approaches, DAG Programme Manager, Crystal West left participants with a final thought, "leaders plant trees they will never sit under".

Here’s to the leaders planting those trees, and to the communities that will one day sit beneath them.

11/09/2026

🎉 WE ARE AT CAPACITY 🎉

The response to this Tender Readiness Masterclass has been fantastic, and we're really excited to see such strong interest from small-scale developers across the sector.

Due to the high level of demand, registration is now closed and we are unable to accept any further attendees for this session.

A big thank you to everyone who registered! We’re looking forward to bringing you together on the 19th of September to explore how small-scale developers can package and submit tender-ready, financeable proposals for released City of Cape Town land.

📢 Missed this one? Keep an eye on the DAG page for future events, learning opportunities and programmes for small-scale developers.

We’ll see you next time!

03/09/2026

“We are giving back to the community and adding more toilets to the community. I’m so proud of my team and what we did for the community.” - Siphosethu, Community Facilitator, Asivikelane Repairs & Maintenance Hub. 🔧👫

For years, the flushing toilets in Love Corner informal settlement, Ward 4, Knysna, stood unusable and vandalised, their cisterns missing and their doors removed from their frames. Women in the community had no safe, working option nearby, and many relied on the bush to relieve themselves.
DAG’s Asivikelane Repairs & Maintenance Hub fixed it: community facilitator Siphosethu led the Knysna team on a site visit, assessed the needs, and sourced new cisterns to restore the toilets, drawing on plumbing repair training the team had completed in George.

We’re highlighting this work as August comes to a close, a month that held both World Water Week (23–27 August 2026), which spotlighted water access and climate resilience, and Women’s Month. Where basic water and sanitation infrastructure fails, it is disproportionately women and children who absorb the risk, and climate pressures only make that maintenance more urgent. This is the kind of community-based work that builds resilience in informal settlements, not a one-off, but the ongoing job of the Knysna Hub team.

02/09/2026

📢 Small-scale developers, this one's for you!

Join the Tender Readiness Masterclass: part of the Land Release Programme for Small-Scale Developers and get equipped to package and submit tender-ready, financeable proposals for the City of Cape Town's released land.

🗓️ Saturday, 19 September 2026 | 08:30–14:00
📍 CoLab Training, Woodstock, Cape Town

You'll learn about:
• Tender document orientation
• Obtaining & packaging tender returnables
• Local planning support & concept designs
• Feasibility and development finance

For more information, reach out to DAG at:
📞 021 448 7886 | 📧 [email protected]

Register today at the link below, spots are limited!

02/09/2026

What if keeping infrastructure working was just as important as building it? 🚿

On the 28th and 29th of August, DAG Programme Manager Crystal West presented DAG’s Asivikelane Community-Based Repairs and Maintenance Model at the Western Cape Provincial Sanitation Task Team meeting, which was co-hosted by the Department of Water and Sanitation South Africa and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA)

As the only civil society representative in the room, Crystal brought the experience and insights of informal settlement communities into a provincial conversation on sanitation, and shared simple, but important lessons from Asivikelane:

- Not every service failure requires new infrastructure. Many of the faults affecting informal settlements are minor repairs and maintenance issues. But when these go unresolved, small problems can quickly become bigger ones, leaving residents without access to essential services.

- Communities can be part of the solution. Asivikelane brings together municipal officials, trained Community Plumbers and civil society to identify, repair and monitor basic service infrastructure. By empowering residents to address minor faults in their own communities, the model is helping to make service delivery more responsive while generating valuable, community-informed insights for municipalities.

- Community-based approaches need to be shaped by context. Asivikelane’s experience across Cape Town and Knysna has shown that there is no single model for collaboration. Different communities require different configurations of roles, relationships and responsibilities, and the approach needs to adapt accordingly.

DAG looks forward to seeing community-based repairs and maintenance approaches take root in more municipalities across the province, and we stand ready to support municipalities who are interested in exploring how these approaches can strengthen service delivery and put communities at the heart of keeping infrastructure working.

28/08/2026

“The community has found its voice.” 📣

That was the message from Reverend Clifford Jones at a recent community safety workshop in Salt River - where more than 60 residents from Salt River, Woodstock and surrounding areas came together to confront rising violence and ask a difficult but important question:

What can we do, together, to make our neighbourhoods safer?

The answers ranged from neighbourhood watches and school patrols to creating more opportunities for young people, strengthening community connections and supporting residents to take collective action.

DAG was proud to work alongside the Umbrella Civic: 92+ to bring residents together for this important conversation.

Read the full story below. 👇

https://southernsuburbstatler.co.za/news/2026-08-25-workshop-tackles-violence-in-salt-river-and-woodstock/

Watch as over 60 residents from Salt River and Woodstock come together for a community safety workshop, addressing rising violence and sharing innovative solutions to reclaim their neighbourhoods.

25/08/2026

A proud moment for our community plumbers 👷🛠🚿

We’re delighted to see our 49 plumbing hand and handyperson graduates being recognised by their communities through this article in the Knysna-Plett Herald.

We’re grateful to have worked alongside our partners to bring this initiative to life - creating opportunities for local residents to grow their skillsets, support essential services and contribute to positive change in their own communities.

Congratulations once again to all our graduates! 👏

KNYSNA NEWS - Forty-nine Knysna residents...