Middle-class homeowners are selling up in Gauteng and thronging to the coast, triggering a building boom in the Western Cape.

On 15 December, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) published its latest building statistics for the private sector, revealing that the value of recorded building plans passed -- at current prices -- increased by 7.9% (R7.114-billion) from January to October 2022 compared with the same period in 2021.

Increases were recorded for additions and alterations (12.5% or R3.107-billion), non-residential buildings (7.6% or R1.164-billion) and residential buildings (5.7% or R2.842-billion).

Stats SA conducts a monthly building statistics survey collecting information on building plans passed and buildings completed -- financed by the private sector -- from the largest local government institutions in South Africa.

The value of the completed buildings increased by 14.5% (R7.142-billion) during the period under review, compared with January to October 2021.

Increases were recorded for additions and alterations (21.8% or R2.522-billion), non-residential buildings (12.5% or R1.417-billion) and residential buildings (12.2% or R3.204-billion). These exclude low-cost housing projects, as data on subsidised housing is obtained from the Department of Human Settlements.

The largest contributions to the total increase of 7.9% were from the Western Cape (contributing 6.8 percentage points) and...