Our Projects

introduction

Shisaka is a renowned consultancy with extensive experience in housing and development strategies. With a track record spanning over 20 years, we have successfully executed various key projects that have made a significant impact in the industry. Our expertise encompasses employee housing support, assessments of human settlements, industrial park viability, capacity building programs, informative webinars, and strategies for mine surface infrastructure and land.

Through our comprehensive portfolio of projects, we have demonstrated our commitment to driving sustainable development and fostering thriving communities. Explore our projects to discover how Shisaka delivers innovative solutions for the challenges of the housing and development sector.

Shisaka has supported large employers in developing and implementing employee housing strategies and policies for over 20 years in both the private and public sectors. Shisaka’s employee housing support includes a comprehensive review of the current status and context of employee housing; formulation of employee housing strategies; risk and financial assessment (including financial modelling) of proposed strategies; drafting of Employee Housing Policies; alignment with statutory compliance requirements; and setting up of the employee housing programme.

Clients have included:

• De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited,
• Kumba Iron Ore,
• Anglo American Platinum
• Airports Company of South Africa,
• Eskom
• Petra Diamonds
• Pretoria Portland Cement Limited
• South 32 (Hotazel Manganese Mines)
• South African Energy Coal (now Seriti)
• Lonmin (now part of Sibanye Stillwater)
• South Deep (Goldfields)

Shisaka was appointed by the Department of Human Settlements, Western Cape, to conduct an assessment on whether the housing opportunities provided as part of the national subsidy programme are addressing the correct needs of beneficiaries and whether the intended goals of providing housing opportunities meet the desired expectations of owning a house. The research comprised desktop research, interviews with officials who are implementing housing projects, and a survey comprising in-person interviews with respondents who are living in subsidy houses across municipalities (metro and district) in the Western Cape.

Shisaka was appointed by Kumba Iron Ore Limited to undertake an overall status quo assessment of a proposed industrial park in Kathu. The main focus of the assessment was to confirm the need and appropriateness of the industrial park as a viable and impactful economic development intervention in the Kathu area.

Shisaka was appointed by the National Department of Human Settlements to develop and implement a Capacity Building Programme for Informal Settlement Upgrading as part of the National Upgrading Support Programme (NUSP). The Programme was implemented over a three-year period and provided short workshop sessions to key stakeholders on the in-situ upgrading of an informal settlement. Over the three-year period, 20 workshops were undertaken, attended by over 500 officials in local and provincial government. The project was expanded to include webinars, which were very well attended and were able to reach a larger audience.

Shisaka held four webinars for the National Upgrading Support Programme on the in-situ upgrading of an informal settlement. The first webinar was held on the 3rd of December 2020 and focused on how to provide incremental tenure. The second webinar was held on the 4th of February 2021 and focused on the incremental upgrading of engineering services. The third webinar was held on the 6th of May 2021 and focused on social compacts in informal settlement upgrading. The fourth webinar was held on the 28th of September 2021 on pipeline planning in informal settlement upgrading.

Shisaka was appointed by the Housing Development Agency to develop this strategy and toolkit aimed at assisting municipalities to determine whether or not they should incorporate mine surface infrastructure such as mine villages into the municipality. The strategy and toolkit focuses on enabling municipalities to assess and mitigate risks related to mine surface infrastructure and where appropriate to take them over.

Shisaka was appointed by the National Department of Human Settlements and the Housing Development Agency to develop a land assembly strategy, policy, and program for urban residential land in South Africa. The purpose of the policy is to transform the basis by which land is assembled for low-income and affordable housing in South Africa to enable housing delivery by all sectors of society at the required scale, that contributes positively to building cities which are progressively more equitable, integrated, and inclusive of the poor, more compact (effective and efficient to administer), and financially and environmentally sustainable. The policy aims to increase access to residential land for individual households so that they have secure tenure (ownership or rental) and live in good quality accommodation (healthy and safe with access to utility services) with access to urban economic and social opportunities. The policy focuses on urban land, including private, public, and land under customary administration (LUCA) that is in or proximate to urban areas.

Shisaka was appointed by the Northern Cape and Gauteng Provincial Governments and the National Upgrading Support Programme to develop an informal settlement strategy for the Northern Cape and Gauteng Provinces respectively. The work comprised extensive consultation with the relevant stakeholders in each Province. The final strategy comprises a status quo review, strategic framework and programmes, institutional arrangements, a proposed one-year plan, and a five-year strategic level pipeline (based on a specific set of informal settlement upgrading priorities).

Shisaka was appointed by the Housing Development Agency to formulate a Development Strategy for the mining towns within the West Rand District, including Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Westonaria, Carletonville, and Fochville. The purpose of the Development Strategy was to provide a credible platform through which the mining towns’ funding could be streamlined and focused on specific outcomes in and around the mining town areas within the West Rand District.