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Making A Difference
Providing guidance, information and expertise across the whole project lifecycle. GeoAfrika draws on the skills of experienced professional teams working across surveying, land information systems, legal services and property management. The core service offerings include the valuation of property, acquisition of evelopment rights, surveying in all of its forms, sales administration, development management, conveyancing, GIS mapping services and environmental assessments.
With this comprehensive offering, GeoAfrika is able to work with clients, and add value, across the entire development process. This holistic view helps to reduce risk, cost and uncertainty for clients. Working as a collaborative team, GeoAfrika is able to build unique solutions for each project, and their secure, consolidated information system means they’re best able to harness the power of clients’ data through customised digital tools.
GeoAfrika currently consists of four primary divisions:
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Surveys - Providing accurate spatial data and survey management services across all aspects of the built environment.
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Technologies - Enabling better decision-making in the built-environment through smart information systems.
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Property Management - Ensuring seamless administration and maintenance, as well as enhanced facility performance, through customised building management solutions.
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Legal* - Pioneers in development, planning and environmental law with expertise in the land-legal sector.
*Enacted through the groups attorneys HSG Incoporated.
“I think we, as a group, can be very proud that the work we do fundamentally improves someone’s life,†says GeoAfrika CEO Peter Hoffman. “We really do believe we can bring any project to fruition and make a difference in people’s lives.â€
Transformation
There is a strong focus on transformation, and they take great pride in being the most transformed surveying company in South Africa, and not just the largest. GeoAfrika has provided bursaries to young, black land surveying students for more than 30 years, and also offers new graduates the opportunity to complete their articles at GeoAfrika. This created transformation long before it was a B-BBEE imperative, and has formed the basis for a strong, diversified professional team.
Clients
The company has an impressive list of clients, including Transnet, Tongaat Hulett, SANRAL, eThekwini Municipality, Eskom, Illovo, Daimler, Leisure Club, AECOM and the Department of Human Settlements, among others.
Services Include:
Surveys
GeoAfrika Surveys specialises in the efficient capture, analysis and representation of spatial data for use throughout the development process. With a core focus on land rights and management, the division has also developed focused, specialised expertise in technical fields like engineering surveying, laser scanning and drone services. GeoAfrika Surveys is experienced at both large-scale infrastructure projects and smaller-scale developments, and is a Level 1 B-BBEE Service Provider.
Land Rights Consulting
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Sectional title surveys
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Development management
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Topographical surveys
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Construction supervisory surveys
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Engineering survey consulting
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Laser scanning
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Mobile mapping
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Drone services
Technologies
GeoAfrika Technologies is a leading Geographic Information System (GIS) company with a focus on both geospatial solutions and app development. Having completed several hundred GIS projects over the past two decades, the team has invaluable experience across sectors including property development, transportation, water, health, economic development, development planning and housing.
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Software and system development
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GIS consulting and enterprise GIS implementation
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Mass data capture (field and office), conversion and analysis
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Project and programme management
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GIS training
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GIS web development and system hosting
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Land audit, valuation and asset registers
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Mobile app development
Property
GeoAfrika Property Management extends the group’s expertise in built environment services into the areas of facility and property management. The division’s offering encompasses everything related to the running of properties to ensure the client’s investment is maintained and maximised over time. With experience from largescale regional buildings to private townhouse units, GeoAfrika Property Management is able to customise solutions based on individual client requirements, all through an innovative digital platform.
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Facility management
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Property management
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Space management
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Asset management
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Managing Agents
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Energy and management solutions
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Financial and IT solutions
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Accounting services
Legal
As the GeoAfrika group’s attorneys, HSG provides focused legal solutions throughout the development process. Established in 1990, the firm was the first specialist environmental law company in the country and has extensive experience in the land-legal sector. Operating closely alongside the GeoAfrika team, HSG is able to provide seamless legal support as needed, which makes the entire process more efficient for clients.
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General conveyancing
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Project-related conveyancing
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Property law
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Planning law
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Land-legal solutions
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Land tenure resolutions
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Notarial practice
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Environmental law
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Property management
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Commercial law
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Property-related litigation
Combining years of on-the-ground experience with expertise in pioneering Geomatics technology
GeoAfrika Surveys specialises in the efficient capture, analysis and representation of spatial data for use throughout the development process. With a core focus on land rights and management, the division has also developed focused, specialised expertise in technical fields like engineering surveying, laser scanning and drone services. GeoAfrika Surveys is experienced at both large-scale infrastructure projects and smaller-scale developments, and is a Level 1 B-BBEE Service Provider.
As a division, GeoAfrika Surveys has a project footprint that spans across Southern Africa, as well as Nigeria, Mali, Ethiopia, Kenya and the United Kingdom. With a team of senior surveyors boasting over 25 years of experience, there are very few challenges the team hasn’t faced and solved themselves. This on-the-ground expertise is complemented by a focus on best leveraging new technologies, with the division continually pioneering new uses of survey technology in the local context.
Our services include:
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Land rights consulting
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Sectional title surveys
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Development management
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Topographical surveys
-
Construction supervisory surveys
-
Engineering survey consulting
-
Laser scanning
-
Mobile mapping
-
Drone services
Enabling better decision-making in the built environment through smart information systems
GeoAfrika Technologies is a leading Geographic Information System (GIS) company with a focus on both geospatial solutions and app development. Having completed several hundred GIS projects over the past two decades, the team has invaluable experience across sectors including property development, transportation, water, health, economic development, and development planning and housing.
As a division, GeoAfrika Technologies custom-develops information systems for clients using a combination of technologies, such as GIS, GPS, remote sensing and app development environments. This range of internet-based systems tracks and records the workflow of clients and projects throughout multiple development stages. With this accurate, centralised data at hand, professionals across the legal, financial, survey, valuation, environmental and construction spheres are able to do their jobs with greater certainty. As a long-term benefit, by linking spatial information to big data, the division is able to help businesses make better decisions, with greater efficiency, leading to enhanced income generation.
Our services include:
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Software and system development
-
GIS consulting and enterprise GIS implementation
-
Mass data capture (field and office), conversion and analysis
-
Project and programme management
-
GIS training
-
GIS web development and system hosting
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Land audit, valuation and asset registers
-
Mobile app development
Realising the potential of the built environment through effective property and facility management
GeoAfrika Property Management extends the group's expertise in built environment services into the areas of facility and property management. The division's offering encompasses everything related to the running of properties to ensure the client's investment is maintained and maximised over time. With experience from large-scale regional buildings to private townhouse units, GeoAfrika Property Management is able to customise solutions based on individual client requirements, all through an innovative digital platform.
GeoAfrika Property Management ensures efficient and seamless management through its digitally-based Building Information Modelling (BIM) system. This allows systematic control and management through an online portal, ensuring aspects such as air-conditioning, fire detection, access control, electrical reticulation and generator supply are regularly maintained in line with service schedules. It also allows for the recording and timely resolution of faults, ultimately resulting in significant cost savings in the long term.
Our services include:
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Facility management
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Property management
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Space management
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Asset management
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Managing agents
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Energy and management solutions
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Financial and IT solutions
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Accounting services
Pioneers in development, planning and environmental law with expertise in the land-legal sector
As the GeoAfrika group's attorneys, HSG provides focused legal solutions throughout the development process. Established in 1990, the firm was the first specialist environmental law company in the country and has extensive experience in the land-legal sector. Operating closely alongside the GeoAfrika team, HSG is able to provide seamless legal support as needed, which makes the entire process more efficient for clients.
By working in association with the GeoAfrika divisions, HSG is able to provide informed, effective legal advice with the bigger development picture in mind. Legal issues have the potential to arise at any stage in the development, so involving a legal specialist upfront removes uncertainty during the process and ensures that developments are able to proceed with clarity, mitigating risk and reducing cost in the long run.
Our services include:
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General conveyancing
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Project-related conveyancing
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Property law
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Planning law
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Land-legal solutions
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Land tenure resolutions
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Notarial practice
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Environmental law
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Property management
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Commercial law
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Property-related litigation
Full Name of Company: GeoAfrika
Nature of Business: Built environment professionals
Services / Products: Surveys, technology, GIS, facility management and legal planning
Customer Base: State owned companies, local and national government, property development companies, consulting engineers
No. of Employees: 300
KEY PERSONNEL
CEO: Peter Hoffmann
CONTACT DETAILS
Physical Address: 15 Acacia Ave, Grayleigh, Westville, 3630
Tel: (0)87 941 6879
E-mail: info@geoafrika.co.za
Website: www.geoafrika.co.za
Branches: Durban and Centurion
GeoAfrika
OUR HERITAGE
The roots of GeoAfrika go back to the 1980s when the founders, the late John Manning and Peter Hoffmann formed a partnership and started a surveying company, Manning, Hoffmann and Partners (MHP). P eter, the CEO of the company, says as surveyors, they soon realised the need to network with other professionals.
GeoAfrika was founded in 1998 as an association of leading independent businesses, all providing specialised technical expertise that primarily operated in the built environment. These businesses consisted of a surveying company, MHP Geomatics, a specialised law firm, HSG, geographical information systems providers, MHP Geospace and a property management company, Thistledown. The associated companies could network effectively, and all they shared a similar vision for the industry. They developed mutual trust and all benefitted from being able to utilise the skills of reliable partners. The companies were all successful individually and as a collective. The group became the biggest in the survey field on the African continent. With the landscape around the group changing and the different businesses becoming increasingly closely linked, however, the decision was taken in late 2018 to consolidate under united brand, to integrate services and resources, become more efficient overall and to better serve the market.
As a result, the four different businesses became divisions under the overarching GeoAfrika brand, with a consistent brand identity. MHP Geomatics became GeoAfrika Surveys, MHP Geospace became GeoAfrika Technologies and Thistledown became GeoAfrika Property Management. HSG remains both part of the group and an independent legal practice. Peter says if the relationship could described in human terms, it would be that "the companies were first dating, then they became engaged and finally married when the GeoAfrika name was adopted."
OUR LEADERSHIP
Special leadership has to be provided in a group mostly consisting of highly qualified and skilled professionals, many of them considered leading experts in their Over time a more structured leadership model been needed and developed, and better support development structures created. Young professionals expert guidance from professionals who are experienced in the field. Planning and co-ordination ensures that a job or project can continue in someone's absence. Succession plans, also at leadership level, are in place to ensure that GeoAfrika can continue successfully into the future. Because of the diversity of the people in the business the representation of all groups is needed for sustainability. Tokenism does however not have any place in the group.
OUR PEOPLE
GeoAfrika has provided bursaries to young, black land surveying students for more than 30 years, and also offers new graduates the opportunity to complete their articles in the group. This created transformation long before it was a B-BBEE imperative, and has formed the basis for a strong, diversified professional team. Peter explains, "From the outset in the 80s, we decided to offer bursaries to young, black land surveying students, and we also create opportunities for new graduates to do articles with us. Of course, this has also helped us to build up a loyal team of good, professional surveyors."
The company now employs more surveyors than the large SOCs and we have created an environment to retain them. This is where they have built their careers," says Peter, "and this is where they want to be." "This is a place where people get opportunities to grow," Odwa Dilizo, Director and Partner, GeoAfrika Technologies and HSG, summarises very simply. GeoAfrika has a strong internal Brand DNA that acts as guidance for every action taken. The company values are:
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Honesty against the tide
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People fullfilling their potential
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Strength through collaboration
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Listening and Leading
OUR CLIENTS
GeoAfrika has an impressive list of clients, including Transnet, Tongaat Hulett, SANRAL, eThekwini Municipality, Eskom, Illovo, Daimler, Leisure Club, AECOM and the Department of Human Settlements, several engineering firms and developers. The relationships are mostly longterm, formed and based on delivery and trust.
OUR SUCCESSES
GeoAfrika has become the biggest business of its kind on the African continent, the most successful by different measures. Success is however not first measured financial terms. Peter has a strong belief in the value that his profession and his company brings to South Africa. "The work we do," he says, "has a positive impact on people, communities and the country. This is true for all aspects our work; surveying, planning or legal." He points out they have often worked in areas where other professions haven't always wanted to be. "Much of our work informal settlements and peri-urban areas, and where providehope for a better situation."
THE FUTURE
This strategic realignment has given the business whole a renewed focus. Craig Silva, Director GeoAfrika Surveys remarks, "The resources and expertise in group places it in a unique situation, making out of box, unique solutions possible." GeoAfrika is uniquely placed to seamlessly provide a range of technical specialised from one entry point. holistic approach makes projects easier to plan, execute and complete. This will continue to offer clients significant benefits. Most importantly, GeoAfrika wants to serve community and make a difference to even more lives the future.
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