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Other projects include Duvha Park,
Emalahleni in Mpumalanga. The
company has completed 700 units
and the final 150 are currently under
construction. In Kagiso near Krugers-
dorp, 30 units are due for completion
in the 83 unit project. MDV has already
completed 350 units at Lakeside in
Vereeniging.
“We are also working in Pien-
aarsrivier close to Bela-Bela in Lim-
popo, where 13 units have still to be
completed of the 126 units’ initial
phase. In Zamdela, near Sasolburg
in the Free State, the first and second
phase of 400 affordable housing units
was recently launched.”
New projects in the pipeline in-
clude 1 356 units in Wilfordon Exten-
sion 7, Main Reef Road, Roodepoort
and work is due to start this year.
With price margins in the afford-
able sector remaining low and while
having to contend with challenges
such as the ever-increasing cost of
land and installation of municipal
services, the MDV Development team
are aware of how important the de-
livery of a house is to someone who
has been waiting for years.
Van Vuuren points out that the
company has a skilled teamof people
to streamline the process towards
home ownership for targeted cus-
tomers.
Thebe Investment Corporation,
a well-known investment company,
holds a substantial share in Phindana
Housing, the sole shareholder of MDV
Developments. “For us it is about em-
powering people at grass roots level.
This is our approach to the delivery of
housing. It also speaks to our agree-
ment with the Thebe Investment
Corporation, who share our vision
which is to improve the lives of South
Africans by providing much needed
houses at affordable prices.”
Much like themarket it serves, MDV
Developments has seen some consid-
erable growth since its humble begin-
nings in 2004. Through its association
with Thebe Investment Corporation,
it has gone fromstrength to strength.
“We have been in a position to ac-
quire some excellent projects - pieces
of land in various stages of rezoning
and servicing, at competitive prices.
This in turn has allowed us to deliver
units at very affordable prices and
that is something that we will con-
tinue to do in the coming years.”
There is no denying the com-
plexities involved in the affordable
housing sector including it being
highly competitive. “All homes are
built to the same standard regardless
of themarket sector. The same effort,
precision and attention to detail go
into each and every development.”
Van Vuuren says it is, however, not
only about the construction of the
development but also the service
given to buyers. “We have dedicated
staff on each project tomake the pur-
chase process as smooth as possible.
This includes assisting with finance
as the company has its own originat-
ing office that streamlines finance
applications with the various banks
and ensures an optimum after-sales
service to our clients.”
All of this speeds up the process
and smooths out hiccups after the
purchase. “Our after-sales service
is an important part of our offering
and includes help with maintenance
– explaining what needs to be done
to ensure that the property holds its
value over time.”
Van Vuuren concludes, “There
is a lot of emotion involved in this
sector because there are not enough
houses to go around and the people
purchasing are typically using all their
resources to buy.”
■
May 2015
ble housing