Yondela Silimela-Development Planning Consultant

Yondela Silimela fell into town and regional planning by accident. Since studying at ML Sultan College in Durban in the early 1990's she has forged a career as a development planner with an interest in cities, city governance and the built environment.

After stints at the City of Johannesburg where she was head of the development planning department, the Public Investment Corporation where she worked in the property investment department and, Yondela works as a consultant and is involved in development projects across the sub-continent.

We chatted about a range of issues including the politics of access to housing, transport and employment, the role of government as housing regulator and provider and the role of private property developers in resolving the housing crisis in South Africa