At a graduation ceremony held on Friday, 7 February 2025, TUHF celebrated the achievements of 44 property entrepreneurs who completed the TUHF Programme for Property Entrepreneurship (TPPE) in 2024. The class of 2024 represents the 9th cohort of aspiring and experienced property entrepreneurs to complete this unique course.
The TPPE is one of only a handful of privately run courses to enjoy accreditation from the University of Cape Town (UCT). It stands alone as a certificate course, and can contribute Continued Professional Development (CPD) points to a number of professional registrations, including SAICA accreditation. Launched in 2015 to provide learning and mentorship opportunities for TUHF’s clients, the TPPE has gained a reputation in the market for its unique approach and quality learning experience.
“This graduating class consisted of 50% TUHF and uMaStandi clients, and 50% members of the public with an interest in property entrepreneurship,” says Lusanda Netshitenzhe, CEO, TUHF21 – pointing out that while clients can attend the TPPE for free as a value-added service, non-clients pay for the course. “The fact that people are willing to invest their own funds to participate in this learning opportunity demonstrates the broad appeal of our TPPE. We are extremely proud of the programme’s reputation, and its ability to attract candidates from South Africa as well as neighbouring countries.”
As the TPPE prepares to host its 10th cohort in July 2025, 452 participants have completed the course successfully. “There are those who say that you can’t teach entrepreneurship,” says Prof. Francois Viruly from UCT, “but the success of this programme indicates otherwise. Property entrepreneurship has its own unique challenges. What makes the TPPE so successful is the way it has adapted to share an understanding of the market as it changes. The quality and consistency of the facilitators – and the commitment of Mr Henry Chitsulo as Programme Manager – has been key.”
Given President Cyril Ramaphosa’s comments on the importance of urban densification to meet South Africa’s housing demands during his State of the Nation address, Prof. Viruly had this to say to the TPPE’s graduates: “The opportunity for property entrepreneurs – and first-generation property entrepreneurs in particular – to deliver affordable rental housing, is now. For this market to grow, we need a strong network of practitioners like you.”
Netshitenzhe echoed this sentiment when she told the graduates: “We encourage you to keep this network of classmates strong, and to support each other in growing your property portfolios. We want your businesses to work for you, not only to service your loans.”
In closing, Henry Chitsulo told the class: “Investment in knowledge pays the best returns. You must put into practice what you have learned to grow your property portfolios successfully.”
To find out more about the 2025 TPPE programme, click here