New SA Reit chair says sector balance sheets are looking really good
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Jackie van Niekerk, the new SA Reit Association chair and CEO of JSE-listed Attacq, says the listed property sector remains resilient despite economic uncertainty.
The SA Reit Association, or South African Real Estate Investment Trust Association, has appointed Jackie van Niekerk as its new chair. Van Niekerk is CEO of JSE-listed Attacq Limited, which is driving the massive Waterfall City development in Gauteng.
She was appointed in July, and the SA Reit Association announced the move earlier this month. In an interview on Moneyweb's The Property Pod, she said the industry remains resilient despite economic uncertainty, with solid access to capital and room for growth.
Van Niekerk said the sector is well placed to weather further headwinds, including the Middle East conflict and its ripple effects on local fuel prices, inflation and consequently interest rates. She described balance sheets across the sector as looking really good.
Her appointment comes as South African listed property continues to draw investor attention, with several REITs reporting strong earnings and distribution growth over the past year despite a challenging macro environment.
Attacq's Waterfall City, a large mixed-use development north of Johannesburg, is one of the country's most prominent property projects and a key focus of her leadership as both company CEO and industry association chair.