Living in fear of homelessness – for six years
"My worst fear is that if I die, my family might be thrown out on the street."
The residents of Appelpark in Krugersdorp West claim they have been waiting for the title deeds to their houses for nearly six years, and they are getting ever more impatient with everyone making promises they do not keep.
Henry de Beer said he applied for his title deed the same day everyone else did – in 2011 – and while some received their deeds within days after their applications, 46 of the residents did not, which put them into a state of worry.
“I believe 110 people applied for the deeds to their homes, but some of us never received them,” said Henry.
Since his application, his sister, who was the previous owner of the house, had died and this has only worsened his concern since he lives in the house with his wife and child without the assurance that the house is truly theirs.
“What if something happens to me? My worst fear is that if I die, my family might be thrown out on the street because they have no proof that the house belongs to us,” he said.
He claimed he has made many efforts to secure the title deed, but his efforts have all been in vain.
“I don’t understand how half of us got the deeds, but the other half didn’t. Some of the owners of the houses have already sold them and moved on, and I’m still waiting to have the peace of mind that the house is indeed on my name. All we want is our title deeds and security for our families.”
The last time Henry and his fellow concerned residents brought the matter to the Mogale City Local Municipality’s attention was in November 2016, when they told the municipal workers that residents of 29 to 33 Alida Drive did not have their title deeds.
Trudie Naudé, the DA ward councillor for the area, said the residents have nothing to be worried about since the houses are already in their names. “They just need to receive the paperwork”.
“The problem lies between the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements and the transferring attorney,” said Trudie. “I’m not entirely sure what the hold-up is, but it seems that the conveyor owes Sars money and therefore the process is delayed. It is really just a matter of getting the deeds to the people.”
Trudie is busy compiling a list of the residents who haven’t received their title deeds yet. “Residents who haven’t received their title deeds can send their plot number, street number, name and surname and contact information to me for insertion into the list,” she said, “so that I know exactly where to send the deeds.” This information can be forwarded to trudie@icould.com.
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