ANC’s destructive BBBEE net widens to property sector
3 May 2024
On 13 March 2024, the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) declared its intention to deny the issuance of or renew Fidelity Fund certificates for businesses with less than 40 points (level 8) on a BEE scorecard.
Since the Property Practitioners Act mandates all “property practitioners” to have a fidelity fund certificate, the PPRA is in effect trying to make it illegal to operate a property related business unless you are BBBEE compliant.
This is an existential threat to the industry, which mostly consists of small and medium-sized operations. Failure to meet the PPRA's demands could subject these businesses to significant legal costs and the risk of losing their operational licenses.
This requirement is unlawful, harmful, and also unconstitutional. Political compliance should never be a prerequisite for conducting private business and adding value to society. It is unjust for property owners and prospective buyers to be barred from engaging in property transactions by state-enforced racial prerequisites.