Nomzamo Radebe takes reins at JHI Properties

Nomzamo Radebe awarded Five Star Woman 2009 by the Women Property Network, has been appointed MD of JHI Properties.

Building a nation of empowered women and a sign of promoting gender equality, JHI Properties today named a chartered accountant, Nomzamo Radebe to replace Johann Boshoff as the new Managing Director with effect from January 2014.

This follows the announcement that Johann Boshoff is to retire as MD after 44 years of service.

While there has been enormous transformation across a number of industries in terms of female employment and empowerment, South Africa's property and construction industry is still largely male-dominated.

Rob Johnson, Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of the Western Cape (MBAWC), says “the construction and property industry needs to adopt the ethos of Women’s Month theme and create more opportunities to empower women. Their integration and development needs to become a priority if we are to grow our industry and the country’s economy.” 

It is disappointing that despite the abundance of talent, women on balance have been slow to break into corporate SA, according to Sharon Wapnick - chairman of Premium Properties and Octodec Investments, who recently commented on progress made by women in real estate investment in South Africa.

Radebe is currently chief investment officer, an executive director and a member of the executive committee of Pareto Limited, a well established property loan stock company and leading retail property industry player with a strong focus on acquiring and enhancing regional, super regional and mixed use developments in South Africa.

Marna van der Walt, CEO of Excellerate Property Services (EPS), which incorporates JHI Properties said "firstly we extend our sincere thanks to Johann Boshoff who retires from JHI Properties at the end of December 2013 for his 44 years of dedicated service and valuable contribution to the company, and wish him everything of the very best for the future."

“We welcome Nomzamo - a qualified chartered accountant with an extensive understanding of the property industry - to the EPS group as MD of JHI Properties. In recognition of her positive contribution in the property industry she was awarded the prestigious Five Star Woman 2009 award by the Women Property Network.”

Radebe is currently responsible for ensuring that the appropriate returns are generated from the numerous shopping centres owned and managed by Pareto in South Africa. This involves growing the net property income in a sustainable manner through strategic asset management and enhancing and growing the assets under management through redevelopments of the owned shopping centres and the acquisition of new assets.

Having joined Pareto in 2006 and previously their financial director, Radebe is also a non-executive director of Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa Limited and a member of their audit and risk committee. She is also a non-executive director of the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors and of the South African Council of Shopping Centres.

Her personal affiliations include registration with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), and membership of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa, the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA), South African Council of Shopping Centres and Women Property Network (WPN).

Prior to joining Pareto, Radebe worked in the National Treasury’s Asset and Liability Unit (within the Asset Management division) where her key responsibilities included the monitoring of the financial performance of state-owned enterprises, the facilitation of Government’s restructuring initiatives for SOE’s and the promulgation of the Auditing Profession Act. Between 2001 and 2004 she worked in the Sasol Group treasury unit as a Treasury Operations Manager, playing an important role in managing the company’s treasury risks and developing treasury management systems. She completed her articles with KPMG Inc.