TOWN & REGIONAL PLANNING • RURAL DEVELOPMENT & LAND REFORM • INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT & FACILITATION
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT • LAND & LEGAL SERVICES • GIS & MAPPING SERVICES

UMHLABA

(isiXhosa noun)

the soil  I the ground I the earth I the world

Umhlaba Consulting Group (Pty) Ltd is a multi-disciplinary consultancy specialising in spatial planning, land use management, and development facilitation with a land-legal focus.  The objective of our work is to generate appropriate and sustainable solutions to the complex development challenges facing South Africa.

About US

UMHLABA Consulting Group (Pty) Ltd. was established in 2003 and specialises in a range of consultancy services, including:

  • Town & Regional Planning
  • Strategic Spatial Planning
  • Project Management
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • Land Reform and related planning
  • Development Facilitation
  • Land / Legal Processes
  • OVVIO Software

 

Ownership & key staff members

UMHLABA Consulting Group (Pty) Ltd is a registered company owned by five shareholders: Dr Luvuyo Wotshela, SETPLAN EL Trust (represented by Mr Piet Jonas and Mr Johan Jonas), and SETPLAN (Pty) Ltd. represented by Mr Carel Olivier and Mr Brendan Hindes

The owners of the UMHLABA Group have a combined work experience in spatial and development planning and allied disciplines of over 60 years.

Our Team

For over 20 years, Luvuyo has been conducting research on land reform, livelihoods and community politics in South Africa.

With NGO association during the 1990s and an academic career up to the present, Luvuyo has been involved in numerous forums, discussing land reform and governance policy for post-apartheid South Africa.

He has also participated in a number of commissioned researches, particularly on land reform and livelihoods, community networks, land rights and restitution in South Africa. 

LAND REFORM
 
RURAL LIVELIHOODS
 
HERITAGE & CULTURE
 
LAND RIGHTS & RESTITUTION

Luvuyo has written and published extensively on the South African history of settlements and their forms of governance. He recently finalized book on the politics of resettlement and change in late twentieth to early twenty first century Eastern Cape.

In 2012 Luvuyo was appointed head of the National Heritage and Cultural Studies Centre for the University of Fort Hare. Having joined Umhlaba in 2003, Luvuyo’s work focuses on research support on Umhlaba projects.

Luvuyo has a DPhil (Doctorate) in Modern History.

With 29 years’ experience, mainly in the fields of spatial planning and project management, Piet has acted as lead town and regional planning consultant and project manager on numerous assignments ranging from capital subsidy grant housing projects through to large commercial and mixed land use developments to golfing estates.

He also specialises in land development applications and other statutory planning procedures. 

TOWN PLANNING

REGIONAL PLANNING

SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT

LAND USE MANAGEMENT

Prior to joining Umhlaba in 2003, Piet gained seven years’ work experience as a planner in Provincial Government before becoming a private consultant in 1996.

Piet is also a Director of Setplan (East London). 

Piet has a Bachelor’s Degree in Town & Regional Planning.

Johan has 25 years’ experience in the fields of spatial, strategic and statutory planning and specialises in the preparation of SPLUMA compliant Land Use Management Schemes and also assisted DRDLR with the SPLUMA roll-out in the Eastern Cape.

He has also managed numerous multi-disciplinary project teams on a range of land development and planning projects.

SPATIAL PLANNING

STRATEGIC PLANNING

STATUTORY PLANNING

SPLUMA SPECIALIST

Other project experience includes planning and land use management policy formulation, development feasibility assessments and statutory approval processes for a range of infrastructure and land development projects.

Johan is also a Director of Setplan (East London).

Johan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Town and Regional Planning

Brendan is a Town Planning graduate from the University of Pretoria (1991) and has 20 years of experience in both public and private practice.

Brendan has been a director in a private planning consultancy for 16 years.His key areas of expertise include project facilitation and co-ordination, urban development control and spatial development planning and strategy. 

He has undertaken the preparation of numerous Integrated Development Plans, Spatial Development Framework Plan and Land Audit projects at various levels of government. 

PROJECT FACILITATION & CO-ORDINATION
 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT CONTROL

SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

These have provided experience in the preparation, implementation, and practical application of strategic plans, strategies, and policies at the local government level. Brendan’s key areas of expertise include: Rural Development Planning; Urban Development Control; Local Municipal Strategy and Policy Formulation; Spatial Development Planning; Local Government Integrated Development Planning; Project Facilitation and Co-ordination; Municipal Planning and Administration

Brendan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Town and Regional Planning

Carel is a registered Professional GISc Practitioner (PLATO: PGP 1268) and a registered Professional Planner (SACPLAN: A/1296/2004).

He has 18 years’ experience in the implementation of GIS based, integrated property, asset and valuation information systems.

Carel is the co-founder of OVVIO Software and has been

GIS SPECIALIST

DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION of OVVIO Software 

TOWN PLANNING

involved in the implementation and project management of numerous GIS based data capturing, analysis and integration projects and solutions throughout Southern Africa.

Carel has a Master’s Degree in Town and Regional Planning

What We Do!

TOWN & REGIONAL PLANNING
  • Statutory Planning (Rezonings, Consent Use and Departure Applications)
  • Township Establishment (Layout Plans, Statutory Approval Applications)
  • Development Feasibility Studies
  • Rural Settlement Planning
  • Land Use Management Systems (Zoning Scheme Mapping & Regulations)
  • Spatial Development Frameworks
  • Precinct Planning 
  • Legal and Policy Framework formulation
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
  • Long-term Programme Management
  • Individual Project Management
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
  • Data Capture and Processing
  • Study Area Analysis
  • Query and Output Mapping
  • Planning Information Support
LAND / LEGAL PROCESSES
  • Land tenure and land rights inquiries
  • Legal land inquiries and process planning. 
  • Ascertainment of customary law.
  • Acquisition of rights on land that either state or developers require.
  • Facilitation of land or land rights acquisition agreements.
LAND REFORM

Strategic Regional Land Reform Frameworks dealing with:

  • Land Redistribution and Tenure Reform 
  • Land Restitution Claims Research & Support
  • Land Reform Projects Design & Implementation
OVVIO SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
  • Property Management
  • Valuations
  • Building Plan and Planning Modules
  • Document Management

Our Portfolio

GIVE US A CALL

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Umhlaba Consulting Group is dedicated to the principles of accuracy, integrity, and social, economic, and environmental sustainability in the drive for excellence in urban and rural development, integrated policy and planning solutions and primary research.

CONTACT US

Physical Address

4 Pearce Street, Berea, EAST LONDON, 5241

Postal Address

PO Box 7609, East London, 5200

Tel:   +27 (0) 43 721 1554

Fax: +27 (0) 86 513 4471

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