Still no title deeds for Temong residents

“The residents of Temong Section have been victims of empty promises from the ANC for many years,” says the Democratic Alliance (DA) PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni, Bongani Nkosi.

Nkosi adds that last year the ward councillor informed the residents that they will get their title deeds in 2019.

“This after waiting for more than 20 years. Temong Section residents have been waiting with bated breaths since 1996. Last year the MMC for Human Settlement, Cllr Lesiba Mpya, responded to questions I raised by saying that 188 title deeds will be distributed in Tembisa on December 1, 2017.

During the follow-up questions in April 2018, the MMC further stated that out of the 188 title deeds planned for distribution in Tembisa, only 147 were distributed. And yet, none of those was for the residents of Temong,” explains Nkosi.

Nkosi says this means the wait still continues for the Temong residents.

“What is puzzling, and equally frustrating, about the Temong title deeds saga is that there is no plan to address this matter.”

In response to the plan and timelines for the distribution of title deeds in Temong, the MMC said: “The planning of the title deeds programme is informed by available title deeds from the Deeds Office. In other words, once the department receives a batch of title deeds, a distribution plan is put in place”.

“This response by the MMC shows a lack of political will and disregard for the residents’ plight. It also calls to question the department’s competency to deal with this matter,” adds Nkosi.

“Why is the department waiting for the receipt of title deeds before putting a distribution plan in place? This matter is long overdue. One would think Mpya and his department would be proactive in dealing with this issue. But as usual, the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) is dragging its feet, much to the detriment of its residents.

“When asked about the deadline for the distribution of Temong title deeds, the MMC said there is no deadline. Now, how is that for a competent MMC who is supposed to have annual, quarterly and monthly plans for executing his duties? MMC Mpya’s responses are actually unsurprising as he also failed to give a direct answer when asked about the number of beneficiaries in Temong who are still awaiting their title deeds,” says Nkosi.

He adds the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni will continue to probe this matter to ensure that the residents of Temong get their title deeds.

“We will also ensure that title deeds are given to their rightful beneficiaries, not those who were fraudulently allocated stands by corrupt officials.”