KMRS is proud to sponsor and attend the recent SAFCOL Golf Day. A prestigious event bringing together prospective clients, leaders, partners and professionals for a day of networking and friendly competition. Our sponsorship towards the event reflects our dedication to excellence and collaboration. The day was filled with engaging conversations, fun, strategic play on the course and a shared commitment. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the organisers and the players for their dedication and hard work, particularly those who gave their best on their first attempt. Golf is not only a sport that unites people,but also an excellent opportunity for collaboration and networking.a

We are incredibly proud to celebrate this amazing milestone with you! Passing your CA board exam is a testament to your hard work, dedication and perseverance. Your commitment to excellence truly embodies the values we uphold at KMRS. This is just the beginning of an exciting journey, and we have no doubt that you will continue to achieve great success. Wishing you all the best as you step into this new chapter of your career! Well done, CA(SA)

Bela – Bela Local Municipality Mayoral Matric Awards. The significant event took place at the Bela Bela Local Municipality, celebrating the outstanding achievements of Matric students who had excelled in their studies. This occasion was not just about recognizing their hard work, but also aimed to provide them with the support and resources needed to help them succeed in their future studies. KMRS is proud to have had the chance to inspire and support the future leaders of our great nation. Sponsorships are a key part of the company’s values, as they focus on giving back to communities and creating opportunities for the younger generation to thrive in their studies—and truly enjoy the journey! On behalf of KMRS we would like to congratulate the Matriculants who have done exceptionally well. We wish them success – you are all deserving to thrive in your passions and be kind and graceful to the journey that is yet to unfold. We are all proud of you, this is only the beginning. To those who didn’t do well, your resilience is recognized and remember your courage to keep going despite setbacks is what truly defines your strength. Keep believing in yourself, your journey is unfolding and every challenge is just another opportunity to rise. A blessed week ahead – ” For Abantu by Abantu!”

RDP housing insurance has arrived in South Africa, giving families supported by the Government Subsidy Housing Scheme vital protection against unforeseen financial circumstances…  The Government Subsidy Housing Scheme has changed the lives of millions of South African families with the provision of free housing – commonly known as RDP homes – to qualifying citizens. Government funded homes give those who would otherwise never be able to afford the cost of housing the chance to enjoy the benefits of property ownership. But while RDP houses have undoubtedly been very positive for local society, South African communities are still rife with stories about families who experience crippling financial strain after receiving their property.  ‘When beneficiaries of low-cost homes suddenly come across loss or damage to their properties, they face a heavy financial burden,’ Bangi Makopo, Co-Founder and Director at Social Housing Initiative Cover (S.H.I.C), a pioneering low-cost housing insurance company. ‘Most RDP families don’t have access to spare money, so if something goes wrong with their new house, they can’t afford to fix it. And if you don’t maintain a property more things tend to go wrong, and you end up in a negative cycle you can’t escape from.’ S.H.I.C offers affordable low-cost housing protection against this devastating scenario. For only R100 per month, RDP homeowners can now make sure that if they experience theft, fire or material building damage, they will be able to pay the cost of repairs.  The issue of low-quality RDP buildings is widely recognised across South Africa. For example, early in 2019 Human Settlements Minister, Nomaindia Mfeketo, stated that government had spent R1.1 billion over the previous five years to repair badly built RDP Houses. Worryingly, this figure does not include costs from three key provinces: Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.   The S.H.I.C offering is therefore a huge development for RDP families – especially since in 2019 many RDP houses continue to be built at a low structural standard.  ‘There are still a lot of reports from low cost home owners about poor quality, with specific mentions of weak walls and roofs,’ explains Makopo. ‘This is very unfortunate and can undermine the whole principal behind government subsidised housing. When a building is structurally weak to start with, it is vulnerable to natural forces like rain and wind. The weakness and vulnerability grow a hundred times when owners can’t afford to repair cracks, leaks and other kinds of damage.’ At R100 per month the S.H.I.C insurance product offering is affordable for most low-cost homeowners, and gives protection against core property damage, excluding household contents and renovations made to the house after it was handed to the owner. Policy holders also have the option to take up additional, affordable cover for household contents, as well as a funeral plan.  ‘We’ve worked very hard to develop this product for South African communities,’ says Makopo. ‘It services families that meet government’s criteria for social housing, as well anyone else with a home valued under R150 000. The cost of the premium is as low as we could possibly make it. This has been a big point of focus for us, along with making sure the process of getting cover is simple, and fast.’  Interested families can contact S.H.I.C via its social media pages, but the company puts most of its operational energy into servicing new and existing clients via a simple phone call. The process is as easy as calling 010 900 1346. A friendly consultant then guides homeowners through the information they need to supply and sends them a quotation that meets their needs. After that, the policy is activated.  ‘The response since we launched in July this year has been incredible, right across the country,’ concludes Makopo. ‘This is clearly an urgently needed product, because it protects our most vulnerable families against the very real risk of a financial nightmare. Anyone worried about this happening to them should call us immediately.’   About S.H.I.C Low Cost Housing Insurance Cover Social Housing Initiative Company (S.H.I.C) offers affordable, low-cost housing insurance to South Africans who qualify for government subsidised housing. S.H.I.C was developed by Kunene Makopo Risk Solutions, in partnership with Afribiz Invest, and is underwritten by the Constantia Insurance Company.   Applicants for S.H.I.C must own a property with a market value of under R150 000, and / or meet South Africa’s National Housing Subsidy Scheme criteria, including: 

Johannesburg – Entrepreneur Dumi Makopo is a typical corporate pathfinder who has carved a niche for himself in the maze that is the insurance industry. The Sowetan’s considerable experience in this field seems to be paying dividends, with his reputation for providing service excellence having grown in leaps and bounds. Born in Dlamini, Makopo moved with his family to Spruitview on the East Rand. His mother worked for a bank and his father was an entrepreneur. “I am just an insurance salesman and very fortunate to be in a position where I am living out my dream,” Makopo says modestly. Growing up, he was fortunate to have been exposed to a range of careers, and his ambitions varied from studying law to becoming a stockbroker. After matriculating at a private high school in Braamfontein, his next stop was down the road, at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he enrolled for a BCom. After graduating, he joined insurer Hollard’s graduate programme as a broker consultant, selling insurance products on the streets of Johannesburg. The story of how he chose the insurance route is a peculiar one. “I had applied for a bursary and was invited for an interview by the bursary funder. When I got there, the firm’s boss said he was tired of students wanting to be accountants and lawyers. So, I looked at the departments in that company and opted for risk management – and I was awarded a bursary for insurance. That is how I ended up in insurance.” At Hollard, Makopo was given the freedom to move to other divisions to get exposure to different products. “While there, I started investigating the possibility of starting my own brokerage since the company was looking for black brokerage firms to work with. The bosses did not like that and dismissed me on the grounds of a conflict of interest.” Makopo had spent two years at Hollard. When he left the firm, Treasury offered him a job as a senior financial analyst. “That changed my life because I was in an environment that was a professional, black-led institution,” he recalls. “I had lots of exposure to policy and to how government works at a very high level. It gave me the confidence to start my own business.” It was at Treasury that Makopo met Siyanda Kunene, his current business partner in his flagship company, Kunene Makopo Risk Solutions. Within two years at Treasury, Makopo was promoted and opportunities started flooding in. But he did not want to get too comfortable as a government official, and when he was offered an opportunity by Treasury to go and work overseas, he headed for the door. “I knew that if I took the opportunity to go overseas, I would never leave my government job. I had no ambitions of being a manager or director-general or anything like that, so I resigned and went full time into the business,” he says. After leaving the 9-to-5 job with government for the business sector, Makopo hit upon hard times and had to relocate back home. He and Kunene lost their office because they could not afford the rent. Makopo says losing the office was a blessing in disguise as it meant that the two had to go out to look for business daily. While the company now has offices countrywide, its owners have carried that lesson with them. “We go to the office, but we know that if we spend too much time there, we are not getting business. We learnt this lesson from back then.” The company specialises in a wide range of financial risk solutions. After clinching a deal with a trade union, doors opened up for more opportunities with similar clients. When the Fifa World Cup came to town in 2010, most construction companies needed performance guarantees. Kunene Makopo Risk Solutions took advantage of this and made a killing in the process. The exposure meant that the company needed to expand from being just a two-man operation. “When we were doing guarantees, we were exposed to other opportunities in insuring public sector assets. That space is dominated by multinational companies, but we went for it anyway and after two years, we secured our first client,” Makopo says. Operating in an industry that is mostly untransformed has forced Makopo to learn the art of perseverance in pursuing clients. He says good work goes a long way in convincing clients to sign up or stay on. A self-confessed religious person, Makopo says he draws inspiration from public figures such as Bishop Mosa Sono and media mogul Given Mkhari. “I have never met them, but, from observing them, I admire them,” he says.

Growing up, I believed that insurance was for rich people. I thought that most of us could really live without this luxury. This was until my car broke down a few times, and our house being broken into. When these unfortunate events happen, we often have no extra cash to replace what has been stolen or broken. That is where insurance can be a lifesaver. If they pay out, of course! Insurance for government housing (including RDP) has arrived in South Africa. Initially, I wondered how people living in government houses could even afford a premium. But then again, it should be a calculated risk. And it is said to give families supported by the Government Subsidy Housing Scheme (GSHS) vital protection against unforeseen financial circumstances. There are many people that would not have houses if it were not for the GSHS. But while these houses have undoubtedly been a very positive story for local society, South African communities are still rife with experiences of families who experience crippling financial strain after receiving their property. “When beneficiaries of low-cost homes suddenly come across loss or damage to their properties, they face a heavy financial burden,” says Bangi Makopo, co-founder and director of Social Housing Initiative Cover (SHIC). SHIC says it is pioneering low-cost housing insurance in South Africa. “Most families from RDP houses don’t have access to spare money. So if something goes wrong with their houses, they can’t afford to fix it. “Plus, if you don’t maintain a property more things tend to go wrong, and you end up in a negative cycle you can’t escape from,” says Makopo. SHIC offers affordable low-cost housing protection against this devastating scenario. The issue of low-quality buildings is widely recognised across South Africa. Early in 2019, Human Settlements minister Nomaindia Mfeketo stated that government had spent R1.1-billion over the previous five years to repair badly built RDP houses. Worryingly, this figure does not include costs from three key provinces: Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape. “There are still a lot of reports from low-cost homeowners about poor quality, with specific mentions of weak walls and roofs. “This is very unfortunate and can undermine the whole principal behind government subsidised housing. “When a building is structurally weak to start with, it is vulnerable to natural forces like rain and wind. The weakness and vulnerability grows a hundred times when owners can’t afford to repair cracks, leaks and other kinds of damages. “We’ve worked very hard to develop this product for South African communities. “It services families that meet government’s criteria for social housing, as well as anyone with a home that is valued under R150 000. “This has been a big point of focus for us, along with making sure the process of getting cover is simple, and fast,” adds Makopo. We cannot neglect the fact that insurers are in the business to make money. They need to make a profit.Equally, we receive many complaints from property owners, whose houses are basically falling apart. I am not confident of this kind of insurance as an option. I just don’t see people living in RDP houses queuing to get their properties insured. Besides, the fact that most of them cannot afford it, I don’t think it will be easy to convince them that they need it. In fact, I asked a lot of people who do not live in government housing if they have insurance and a large number of them do not. People are not even insuring the assets they bought with their own money. I actually think our society needs a mind shift about insurance. I mean, after everything I have been through, you would think my car would be insured by now? Oh well…