Kwa-Thema – Seventy five beneficiaries from Kwa-Thema were the recipients of title deeds at the Community Hall on October 16.

The MEC for Human Settlements in Gauteng, Tasmeen Motara was present to hand over the title deeds with the MMC for Human Settlements, Nsizwa Mekgwe among other delegates.

One of the beneficiaries, Matau Maifadi said she is happy to received the document after years of waiting.

“I have been living in Ext 6 since 1994 and have waited for years to receive a title deed, and I am extremely happy to finally get it,” she said.

She said she looks forward to building a home and also talked about how receiving the document will benefit her family’s life.

“We can now leave our children with a home in their name once we have passed,” she said.

Another Ext 6 resident, Nomthandazo Mkhali said she has been living in the area since 1993.

“I cannot put into words how happy I am to receive this document. We applied in 1996 and even though I don’t yet have my house, I have a stand that is in my name,” Mkhali said.

She encouraged her fellow community members who have been waiting to not give up and be patient until they receive their documents.

Speaking to the African Reporter, Motara explained the process that leads to title deed handovers.

“If you have a property and you have been verified as the owner, as we formalise the areas we register the title deeds. So we go through a process with the municipality of formalising and then all the residents who are qualified in their houses, we submit them to conveyancers who do the registration with the deeds office on their behalf,” she said.

Motara shared the practical changes the title deeds will bring including being able to prove that one is a rightful user of a property.

“Getting a title deed confirms you are the owner and you are the rightful person who can make changes, who can use the property for alternative use, sell it if you want. But also it’s just security of tenure. It just secures and confirms who the owner is,” she said.

She explained that they conduct public handovers in areas that have been formalised. Beneficiaries who were not able to make it can get them from their municipalities offices.

“The other way to check is with the deeds offices. We urge people to check with their municipalities if they were not able to make it,” she said.

She added that they have prioritised the registration processes in the formalised Ekurhuleni areas and work is underway in areas that are not yet formalised.

Mekgwe explained the role of the CoE in making these 75 title deeds available, as well as the city’s responsibility following the handover.

“The CoE, as the landowner, works closely with the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements to facilitate the transfer and registration of title deeds.

“We have delegated the authority to appoint conveyancers to the provincial department, while the city’s role includes verifying beneficiaries and reviewing and signing off on draft title deeds.

“Following the handover, we remain committed to working with the department to resolve outstanding matters and ensure that qualifying beneficiaries receive their title deeds,” Mekgwe said.

He added that the municipality plans to continue working with the human settlements department to address outstanding title deeds.

“The department appoints conveyancers, while the city verifies beneficiary details and provides the necessary approvals. Through continued collaboration and the timely resolution of outstanding issues, we aim to reduce delays and ensure that more qualifying residents receive their title deeds and enjoy the security of homeownership,” he said.