Who We Are

Property Entrepreneurs in Townships

uMaStandi assists individuals who seek to run a profitable, sustainable and legal township based residential rental business. Many landlords need a way to unlock dead equity in their property. With uMaStandi, property owners with title deeds or entrepreneurs who seek to purchase to develop units for rental purposes can apply for finance.

Our Product

Our Service Offering

Mentorship and Training - we provide guidance throughout the process from application, construction and renting up the property
Construction Support: assistance to choose and contract with the right builder, and to make sure the construction of your rental development is on time and within budget
Property Management guidance

South Africa’s townships can seem dusty, unorganized, intimidating and rundown. Where others see chaos and a lack of hope, we see the potential for growth, we see opportunity for growing successful businesses.

The urban densification imperative

There is potential in the townships that has been ignored for too long, and we believe it’s time for the private sector to start recognising that these economies are worth investing in. We think they’re the next frontier of economic growth for South Africa.

Because of the sprawl and low density in townships – that has resulted from ineffective use of space in the past – there is lots of opportunity for densification and bringing in mixed-use developments. This kind of development will stimulate township economies, create places of employment and offer people access to economic opportunity.

Access to economic opportunities is limited in low-density areas like townships, but densification creates live-work proximity that is key for urbanisation to take place sustainably, and to stimulate economies.

NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES*

*Information correct as at financial year end 31 March 2020, for active loans in servicing

Loan Servicing

R

Current Book

mil

Units Financed

People trained in financial literacy since 2018

Permanent and Short-term jobs created since 2018

Townships

R

In Approvals

mil

55% of entrepreneurs are female

Insclusive Economic Growth

100% of new loans to land reform

Insclusive Economic Growth

Our Impact Goals

Grow the loan book to R1 billion in the medium term and enable access to finance to more property entrepreneurs.

Geographic expansion to more townships around South Africa in the short to medium term.

Significantly grow the number of women financed and supported over the next 5 years.

Contribute to visible densification of targeted townships, improve the urban form through supporting mixed-use developments.

Strategically promote “Massive-Small” development as a key contributor to economic growth, especially as a local economic development tool.

EIGHT YEARS OF IMPACTFUL INVESTMENT

2017

Research and establishment of the backyard township programme

2018

Launch first pilot in Soweto, Khayelitsha and Delft

2018

Awarding of Jobs Fund Grant of R50 million to fund Pilot Programme

2020

Expansion to Ekurhuleni and Tshwane townships

2021

Expansion to KwaZulu-Natal

2022

Expansion to the Eastern Cape

2022

Establishment of uMaStandi Fund 1, a R125 million fund to expand uMaStandi

What Our Clients Say

Kgomotso Khumalo

- 743 on HM, Soweto

“We’ve been so blessed with working with uMaStandi because they didn’t just provide the funding, they worked with us on the property development journey, from the beginning to the end of the project, even during the time when we were in lockdown,”

Athi Matinise

- Brahms Court, Cape Town

“My Portfolio Manager, Nomfundo offered great support in finding cheaper contractors and materials and came with me to site visits to inspect the work and make sure everything was on track and to the right standard. uMaStandi also helped me to safeguard the materials on site.”

Shumani Paramela

- Lutendo Heights, Soweto

“The uMaStandi team and the project managers were very helpful and proactive in terms of planning for this and mitigating against it. They proactively advised me to apply for an increase on my loan, for example, knowing that the cost of materials would remain higher than we had planned.”