HOUSING BENEFICIARIES HAVE DIGNITY RESTORED
By BRIAN KAJENGO
The wait for the restoration of dignity and giving full home ownership
for scores of government’s low cost houses has finally come to an end.
At least over 1000 beneficiaries of RDPs are now rightful owners of
their houses built few years ago.
The Department of Human Settlements issued [Friday 14th
February 2014] title deeds to beneficiaries from all the local municipalities
of Nkomazi, Mbombela, Thaba Chweu, Bushbuckridge and Nkomazi within the
Ehlanzeni District. The hand-over ceremony is a continuation of MEC Andries
Gamede’s campaign to afford full property ownership to beneficiaries.
Title Deeds are
important as they allow beneficiaries to access finance from financial
institutions for renovations and funding for business opportunities.
“Acquiring a
title deed enables a beneficiary to have the house as an asset, offer sense of
pride and belonging. From the municipal perspective, property ownership compels
the owners to pay municipal rates and services received, thereby contributing
to its ongoing financial viability and economic sustainability,” charged MEC
Gamede.
Gamede beneficiaries
will now be able to use their title deeds to improve their dwellings, to
acquire household’s goods and make use of capital borrowing against their
properties and to start small businesses.
The issuing of
title deeds is to facilitate the registration in to the names of the housing
beneficiaries, ensure provision of security of tenure for beneficiaries, ensure
their lives continuously and economically improved through guarantees with the
title deeds and satisfy the provision of legislation to provide them to
beneficiaries. In essence, their households also are use as an asset to build
wealth.
“It’s a good feeling
that I now own a house” - beneficiary Ms
Themba (43) from Orlando
near Komatipoort expressing joy as she received her title deed.
Ehlanzeni District
Municipality’s Acting
Mayor [on the day], Clr Johan Mavuso assured the communities that “government
is ensuring that land restitution is addressed which will in turn tackle
housing backlog”.
The campaign which be extended to Nkangala District will benefit
households from the municipalities of eMalahleni, Steve Tshwete, Emakhazeni, and
Victor Khanye municipalities later this month. The department has successfully
issued more than 7000 title deeds since 2009. MEC Gamede launched the campaign at
Gert Sibande District last year
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