Pilot project sees Sundumbili residents finally able to call homes their own
For now, residents cannot apply for the programme because it is in its pilot phase, but if there is enough support this could soon become an option.
Two Sundumbili residents have been given the gift of housing security after recently being presented with the title deeds to their homes.
This represents a positive outcome in the long-standing struggle for residents in Sundumbili (near Mandeni) to codify their home ownership.
Housing transactions in informal settlements are often done outside of the legal system, leaving theoretical homeowners with no proof of their asset and less protected legally.
This aside from the title deeds that are lost, do not get passed on in cases of intestacy, or are simply never received even if the sale has been undertaken formally.
It is a countrywide issue, where those who cannot afford legal advice often get left out in the cold, particularly when trying to later sell their homes.
“South Africa has a property registration system that is reliable, but it is not used by many South Africans because it is an expensive and complex system that is beyond the reach of the average citizen,” said International Finance Corporation (IFC) senior operations officer, Amina El Zayat.
About 70% of the population do not use official systems in place.
To counteract this, a pilot programme by the IFC in collaboration with the Vuthela iLembe Local Economic Development Programme, is trying to connect homeowners and legal firms willing to do pro-bono work.
For their part in the process, the programme represents a way for the conveyancers to gain B-BBEE points.
More than 300 case files were collated in Sundumbili alone, showing the extent to which the issues around informal housing in South Africa exist.
The first two recipients, Sifunda Amos Nkosi (70) and Nonhlanhla Hlengiwe Msweli (51) received their title deeds at no cost to them after the work was done by HSG Attorneys.
El Zayat is hopeful that this could attract other law firms to the programme.
The rest of the collected files are being dealt with by the title deed adjudication committee, which is sponsored by the provincial department of human settlements.
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