South Africa's regulatory record is the cleanest in this series: a Gazette policy, a 300,000-bed SHIP programme and a 2026 VAT ruling, all primary-source confirmed. But three bed-stock definitions must never be conflated: 135,353 university-owned beds, 331,945+ "accredited private" beds (a quality register, not PBSA-only), and a 2020-vintage commercial-PBSA-only total of 223,110. Against 1,152,418 students, the 97,219-bed commercial layer gives 8.44% penetration.
Key performance indicators for the South Africa purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector
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