August 12 2026 14:00
SANDTON, SOUTH AFRICA
Jackie van Niekerk, CEO of Attacq, has taken over as chairperson of the South African Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) Association, succeeding Estienne de Klerk, Group Chief Executive Officer of Growthpoint Properties, with effect from the Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Johannesburg on July 20 2026.
The handover comes with South African real estate investment trust (Reit) sector in its strongest position in years. The sector delivered a total return of 38.6% in 2025 on the back of 35.8% in 2024, its market capitalisation has moved through R350bn and member companies raised more than R11.4bn in fresh capital through oversubscribed bookbuilds during 2025. Having moved from a period of balance sheet repair to one defined by growth, renewed corporate activity and deepening investor confidence, the sector enters its next phase with an Association restructured to match, the association said in a statement.
De Klerk steps down as chairman having led the association through the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rebuilding of balance sheets and investor confidence. Under his chairmanship the association sharpened the sector’s disclosure standards, having released the Third Edition of the SA REIT Best Practice Recommendations (BPR) in May 2026. The association said it also deepened its advocacy with the government, regulators and investors.
A high point came in Stockholm. On September 17 2025 the Global REIT Alliance (GRA) was launched at the European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA) Conference, bringing together Reit associations from 24 countries and regions whose members collectively represent companies managing approximately 98% of the world’s roughly $2trillion in Reit market value. De Klerk and SA Reit Association chief executive officer Joanne Solomon represented the South African sector at the launch.
“It has been a privilege to chair the association through a period that tested the sector severely and then rewarded its discipline,” said De Klerk.
“I hand over an organisation that is stronger, better connected internationally and better positioned to serve its members. Standing in Stockholm as South Africa took its place in the Global Reit Alliance confirmed what the numbers already show. Our sector has earned its standing among the world’s leading Reit markets,” he said.
“Jackie brings deep industry knowledge, the credibility of her leadership at Attacq and a clear focus on delivery. This handover was planned well in advance and executed deliberately. She takes the chair with solid foundations beneath her and real momentum behind the sector. I have every confidence in the Association’s direction under her leadership,” he said.
The change of chair forms part of a deliberate renewal of the association itself. With effect from August 2026, seven standing committees have consolidated into three delivery portfolios: Accounting, Regulation and Taxation; Markets, Research and Investor Engagement; Transformation. Each portfolio carries a mandate, defined priorities for the year and measurable objectives, supported by time-bound Working Groups convened around specific outcomes. The Legal and Competition Commission function becomes a cross-cutting advisory capability serving the three portfolios.
De Klerk is available to the executive committee as a strategic advisor, preserving the institutional knowledge and relationships built over many years, the association said.
Van Niekerk takes the chair with an established record across the sector. She is CEO of Attacq Limited, the real estate investment trust developing Waterfall City which owns Mall of Africa. She is also a Past President of the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA).
Within the association she chaired the marketing and conference committee through a period in which the sector’s public profile strengthened. The monthly SA Reit Chart Book confirmed itself as a reference point for analysts, financial media and advisers, The Reity Report podcast series brought Reit executives and analysts to a broader audience on Classic Business (Fine Music Radio) and the 2026 SA Reit Conference became the most successful since the association’s formation in 2013.
“It is a privilege to take the chair as the sector reaches a clear turning point,” said Van Niekerk.
“I want to thank Estienne for his leadership and for the strong foundation he leaves. I am pleased that his experience and relationships remain available to the Executive Committee, because continuity of institutional knowledge matters as much as renewal,” shc said.
“Our central purpose is to position South African Reits as a compelling asset class for both global and local capital. That calls for clear priorities, accountable delivery and measurable objectives, which is exactly the structure the new operating model gives us. Each portfolio knows what it is trying to achieve, who is accountable and what success looks like. The sector’s momentum gives us every reason to be ambitious,” she said.
The association’s agenda for the new chair’s term will centre on sustained engagement across debt, equity and international markets, a stronger and more consistent research capability to support the sector’s investment case and closer alignment with the JSE Limited (JSE) on disclosure and sustainability. Van Niekerk and Solomon said they would engage with member chief executives to understand what the industry requires from the Association and to translate that into the Executive Committee’s priorities, while developing the opportunities created by membership of the Global REIT Alliance.
“This transition reflects careful planning by the Executive Committee and a shared view of where the Association is going,” said Solomon
“We retain Estienne’s experience and standing while gaining a Chairperson with a clear record of delivery. With the new operating model in place and real momentum behind our members, the Association is well placed to serve the sector through its growth phase,” she said.
alistair@propertyflash.co.za
