For Sicelo Maphumulo, becoming a property entrepreneur was a long-held dream. After several years of teaching history and business studies at Mthuli Secondary School in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), he expresses that it was the passing of his mother during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that served as the catalyst for pursuing his aspirations dream.
“My plan was always to stay in teaching for fifteen years or so, and then my mum, who was an acclaimed journalist for The Star newspaper, had promised to help me enter the property market. When she passed, I used my inheritance from her to take my first plunge and bought a house in 2022,” he relates.
Considering that a fundamental principle of property development is location, Sicelo conducted his research and selected Waterloo as the area for his first venture into property development. Waterloo features various types of housing, including RDP, mortgaged, and increasingly, two to three-storey walk-up apartments.
The area has also been growing due to the relocation of King Shaka International Airport to La Mercy and the proximity of Umhlanga Rocks, which has spurred the establishment of both shopping malls and call centres in the region.
Waterloo is also attractive from a property development perspective due to its good transport routes, schools, a local shopping centre, a library, and a clinic. Most importantly for Sicelo’s target renters, this property is situated on a taxi route.
Being in an ideal location, however, does not guarantee that challenges won’t arise along the way, and Sicelo had to contend with several of these. The first was running out of funds in mid-2023. Before uMaStandi’s assistance, Sicelo recounts having to deal with a contractor who failed to deliver what was needed, which resulted in escalating costs.
Fortunately, he was introduced to uMaStandi, who, after reviewing his project, initially offered him financing of R880,000, which was later increased to R1 million to cover the full scope of the project.
Under uMaStandi’s guidance, Sicelo changed his initial plan of constructing six apartments to instead constructing ten self-contained bachelor units, five on each floor. Each unit also includes its own basin, shower, toilet, and kitchenette.
He also added Wi-Fi and two Jojo water tanks to ensure that residents would have access to water in the event of municipal breakdowns. The property is currently fully leased, with a rental of around R3 000 per month.
Sicelo also is the youngest property investor working with uMaStandi in KZN, emphasising that property entrepreneurship is accessible to anyone with courage and the right development partner.
My advice to anyone looking to follow in my footsteps into property development is to understand that it is a journey, not a ‘get rich quick’ opportunity. You will need perseverance, and having someone you can trust to be a sounding board also helps,” he says. “However, it is doable – and more so if you have the right people on your team. Additionally, honesty is essential, and I would encourage full transparency with regards to the project’s progress.
Despite the challenges faced on his first property project, Sicelo believes it has been well worth the effort.
“One of the main learnings I have walked away with from doing this project is that the willingness to learn is critical. I have learnt so much from uMaStandi, from their introductory course and training, and from their ongoing guidance, as well as from the surveyor and structural engineer in my professional team, who showed me aspects of property development I did not know before,” he adds.
“To walk this path, I believe one must be teachable, curious, and open-minded to let in the knowledge that experts in this field are willing to impart. Ironically, as a teacher, I have also needed to become a learner. I think if one is willing to do that, then there are no limits to the success one can achieve,” he concludes.
uMaStandi client turns Nzori Properties from a budding dream to a thriving reality
After losing his mother during the pandemic, former teacher Sicelo Maphumulo used his inheritance to pursue his property dream in Waterloo, KZN. With uMaStandi’s support and guidance, he transformed his project into ten fully leased bachelor units, proving that perseverance and the right partners can turn dreams into thriving realities.