Five Chartered Accountant friends formed a property development company-Ezinkulu Investments with the purpose of building affordable rental flats in the township areas. For their first development they purchased a piece of land in 2018 through personal savings. Towards the end of 2019, Ezinkulu approached the CDA for assistance in navigating through property development, building plans approvals, appointments of contractors, and structural engineer. Construction preparations and implementation commenced during the adjusted lockdown restrictions and numerous delays were experienced. During the construction process Ezinkulu experienced financial challenges as they could not get the full amount for construction from local micro financed institutions. But financial challenges did not discourage Ezinkulu, they decided to prioritize to finish 7 of the 15 units in Mfuleni. Once those units were completed, the first batch of tenants were secured by early April 2021. Ezinkulu investments has been involved in the CDA capacity building platforms whereby the following were discussed on an on-going basis, tenant management skills, use of lease agreements and outgoing and incoming inspections. At a later stage the Ezinkulu used their rental income from the 7 units to complete the remaining 5 units. As new developers in the space, Ezinkulu team have been part of the formation of a Western Cape Township Developer Forum (TDFoWC) and one member recently taken a role of representing the about the township rental market at the Western Cape Property Developers Forum platform.

In August 2021, a micro-developer in Mandalay, Mitchel's Plain received an administrative penalty notice for the contravention of the Cape Town municipal Planning By-Law. The administrative penalty fee for the unauthorized building work and land use amounted to R 780 000. Out of excitement and coupled with a poor grasp of the land use planning process, he started the construction of a structure with 23 rental units and in the process contravening the zoning rights. He wanted to make a difference in his community by producing decent rental housing opportunities for the young professionals who struggle to access well-located affordable housing options. Before the involvement of DAG, the micro-developer had exhausted his creditworthiness and it was going to be very difficult for him to raise the stipulated administrative penalties. Fortunately, in accordance with the provisions of the City of Cape Town Municipal Planning By-Law 2015, he had a chance to submit an appeal against this decision. The CDA supported him by writing an appeal letter pleading for leniency and a second chance to pursue this dream in a correct manner. The resolutions clearly outlined several action points and commitments to promote the delivery of affordable housing units. Therefore, the appeal letter requested the appeal committee to consider a significant reduction of the stipulated administrative penalty fee as it will be aligning with the 2020 City/Council's resolutions and set objectives. The light was finally at the end of the tunnel when the fine was reduced from R780 000 to R10 000.

DAG’s CDA and Luvo relationship dates to 2014, when Luvo was planning his first rental development project in Delft. The relationship has grown alongside each of Luvo’s buildings, with DAG assisting with everything from access to finance and regulatory compliance issues, to project management and lease agreements. In 2014, he funded his first development, a five-unit block in Delft through a combination of personal savings, and incrementally finishing the last three units with rental income from the first two. He again embarked on his second development in 2016, he added four units to the 'backyard' of the property where he resides. When Luvo undertook his third development in 2019, he partnered up with an accountant to form a property development company. Pooling their joint shareholder equity, they purchased the land, and then secured finance. For his third development, Luvo analysed the market, putting a lot of thought into what he was building, and ultimately choosing quality over quantity. “My next project, the idea is to move out of the township, to a better area, and to build something bigger, more stylish. Hopefully, I can get better capital then,” Luvo says of his plans for the future.

Thabisa is one of a growing number of the homeowner developers, whose collective efforts are formalising the long-standing South African practice known as backyarding. She built four 20 sqm studio units rental flats at the back of her property in Khayelitsha. Thabisa is one of a growing number of the homeowner developers, whose collective efforts are formalising the long-standing South African practice known as backyarding. Interestingly she originally got the idea to build from her friend, another homeowner developer, who in early 2020, had four rental flats constructed in her backyard by Bitprop, one of the few micro-financers. CDA became involved with helping Thabisa through collaborating with Hello Nandi on the pilot project. The CDA’s role in this project ranged from conducting an initial site analysis for the envisioned small-scale units, drafting plans, and facilitating the appointment of an architect and engineers, liaising with and ensuring timeous disbursement of payments to the contractor. “But now I’m glad. Because this is going to be a lifetime opportunity for me and my family.” added Thabisa.