The Rabie Foundation
Formed in 2005, the Rabie Foundation is responsible for administering the group’s corporate social responsibility programme. Since inception the Foundation has concentrated its efforts on helping the poorest of the poor, assisting many needy organisations and individuals from disadvantaged communities. The broad range of beneficiaries, chosen, according to select criteria, have included night shelters to soup kitchens and organisations dealing with Aids orphans.
Our focus is currently shifting emphasis towards education and we have adopted the Sinenjongo High School in Joe Slovo Park, in Milnerton close to Century City. We have established a computer laboratory and a science laboratory at the school – important developments for an institution that to date has had to teach science with little or no practical facilities. Current and future initiatives are aimed at a widespread and ongoing mentoring and upskilling programme for the teaching staff of the school.
The Foundation, which is run by a representative committee of staff which meets at least once a month, has also initiated a bursary programme to fund promising, tertiary level property and/or construction students from previously disadvantaged communities.
Affordable Housing
In the mid-1980s, prior to democracy, the Rabie Group moved into many of the townships around the country (Meadowlands, Soweto, Umlazi, Khayelitsha, Khatlahong, Daveyton, Lamontville and Duduza to mention but a few) in a bid to provide affordable housing for marginalised and disadvantaged communities. We developed about 500 homes a month over a six to seven year period before the bond boycotts made it impossible to continue operating in this market.
Since then, we have been directly involved in the planning and development of Joe Slovo Park, in Marconi Beam, and Westlake Village, in Westlake Estate – both social housing projects in which squatter communities from these two sites were
re-housed.
BEE Partnerships
The Rabie Group pioneered BEE partnerships well before democracy. In the late 1980s the Group took private equity in a black-owned investment business, Combi Investments, which went on establish Master Currency, now a leader in the field of foreign exchange. In the early 1990s the group also undertook the development of petrol stations in the Eastern Cape with Combi Investments and went on to jointly develop Nyanga Junction, a shopping centre that straddles the communities of Gugulethu and Mannenburg. The shopping centre
opened in 1994.
In more recent years we have forged BEE joint ventures or partnerships with, among others:
- Broad-based empowerment consortium, Buyambo, headed up by Hermanus businessman, James Booi
- Fikza, a 100% black owned company which is a 20% stakeholder in the Millwood Lifestyle Estate in Bryanston
- Several joint ventures with black-owned property development and construction company, Asrin, which we have also appointed as contractors on many of our major projects
- Loreko, a 100% black owned empowerment company which has entered into a BEE agreement with Sappi to develop under-used and under-performing forest land. The first tract of land located in Umkomaas is 190 hectares and plans include approximately 2 000 residential opportunities and a neighbourhood shopping centre
- A joint venture with local businessman, Mondi Mbeta, to undertake an upmarket housing development in Constantia, Cape Town
Public Private Partnerships
The Rabie Group has pioneered public private partnerships with various parastatals, provincial and local authorities from the early 1990s. These unlock enormous value from land assets owned by these bodies and, in the case of Marconi Beam and Westlake Estate, using the principle of cross-subsidization to resettle squatter communities in formal housing on the
same site.
In two other major developments with municipal authorities, and in conjunction with Cavcor, The Rabie Group acted as Development Facilitators to help local authorities maximize the value of large tracts of land.
In 2000, working together as the Rabcav consortium, we helped the City of Cape Town to plan, rezone and develop a
120-hectare tract of land adjacent to Bloubergstrand, known as Big Bay. The resultant mixed-use development proposal opened up a total of 2 400 residential units, 38 000 square metres of commercial space, a petrol filling station, and public amenities.
In Hermanus, working together with BEE partner Buyambo, we facilitated the development of Fernkloof Estate on the Hermanus Golf Course, on behalf of the Overstrand Municipality. Proceeds from this development are being used to fund various critical infrastructure projects in the greater Hermanus area for the benefit of Overstrand ratepayers. The development included the extension of the Hermanus Golf Course from 18 to 27 holes, the creation of 15 golf lodges and 330 residential erven.
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The Rabie Foundation
Formed in 2005, the Rabie Foundation is responsible for administering the group’s corporate social responsibility programme. Since inception the Foundation has concentrated its efforts on helping the poorest of the poor, assisting many needy organisations and individuals from disadvantaged communities. The broad range of beneficiaries, chosen, according to select criteria, have included night shelters to soup kitchens and organisations dealing with Aids orphans.
Our focus is currently shifting emphasis towards education and we have adopted the Sinenjongo High School in Joe Slovo Park, in Milnerton close to Century City. We have established a computer laboratory and a science laboratory at the school – important developments for an institution that to date has had to teach science with little or no practical facilities. Current and future initiatives are aimed at a widespread and ongoing mentoring and upskilling programme for the teaching staff of the school.
The Foundation, which is run by a representative committee of staff which meets at least once a month, has also initiated a bursary programme to fund promising, tertiary level property and/or construction students from previously disadvantaged communities.
Affordable Housing
In the mid-1980s, prior to democracy, the Rabie Group moved into many of the townships around the country (Meadowlands, Soweto, Umlazi, Khayelitsha, Khatlahong, Daveyton, Lamontville and Duduza to mention but a few) in a bid to provide affordable housing for marginalised and disadvantaged communities. We developed about 500 homes a month over a six to seven year period before the bond boycotts made it impossible to continue operating in this market.Since then, we have been directly involved in the planning and development of Joe Slovo Park, in Marconi Beam, and Westlake Village, in Westlake Estate – both social housing projects in which squatter communities from these two sites were re-housed.
BEE Partnerships
The Rabie Group pioneered BEE partnerships well before democracy. In the late 1980s the Group took private equity in a black-owned investment business, Combi Investments, which went on establish Master Currency, now a leader in the field of foreign exchange. In the early 1990s the group also undertook the development of petrol stations in the Eastern Cape with Combi Investments and went on to jointly develop Nyanga Junction, a shopping centre that straddles the communities of Gugulethu and Mannenburg. The shopping centre opened in 1994.
In more recent years we have forged BEE joint ventures or partnerships with, among others:
Public Private Partnerships
The Rabie Group has pioneered public private partnerships with various parastatals, provincial and local authorities from the early 1990s. These unlock enormous value from land assets owned by these bodies and, in the case of Marconi Beam and Westlake Estate, using the principle of cross-subsidization to resettle squatter communities in formal housing on the same site.In two other major developments with municipal authorities, and in conjunction with Cavcor, The Rabie Group acted as Development Facilitators to help local authorities maximize the value of large tracts of land.
In 2000, working together as the Rabcav consortium, we helped the City of Cape Town to plan, rezone and develop a 120-hectare tract of land adjacent to Bloubergstrand, known as Big Bay. The resultant mixed-use development proposal opened up a total of 2 400 residential units, 38 000 square metres of commercial space, a petrol filling station, and public amenities.
In Hermanus, working together with BEE partner Buyambo, we facilitated the development of Fernkloof Estate on the Hermanus Golf Course, on behalf of the Overstrand Municipality. Proceeds from this development are being used to fund various critical infrastructure projects in the greater Hermanus area for the benefit of Overstrand ratepayers. The development included the extension of the Hermanus Golf Course from 18 to 27 holes, the creation of 15 golf lodges and 330 residential erven.