By Nkhensani Chauke
Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Tasneem Motara handed over 280 title deeds in Sedibeng on Friday, providing qualifying beneficiaries with guaranteed land ownership.
Motara presided over the handover ceremony at the Tsepong and Lakeside Estate, located within Emfuleni and Midvaal Local Municipalities.
She was accompanied by Lerato Maloka, the Executive Mayor of Sedibeng District Municipality, at both events.
“The title deeds provide legal ownership of the properties to the beneficiaries, ensuring their long-term security and enabling them to use their properties as assets,” said Motara.
“This initiative is part of the ongoing effort by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements to address historical housing imbalances and empower communities.”
She said the initiative was aligned with the sixth administration’s commitment to restoring the dignity of Gauteng residents and ensuring security of land tenure.
Last year, Motara stressed the critical role of municipalities in driving local development, spatial transformation, and human settlement delivery.
These include issuing title deeds, allocating beneficiaries, and implementing bulk infrastructure projects to fast-track integrated human settlements.
She added that intergovernmental collaboration would be strengthened to expedite these efforts.
Earlier this year, the Democratic Alliance criticised the Human Settlements Department in Gauteng for issuing only 32,002 title deeds over the past five years, despite a backlog of 178,000 residents on the housing waiting list.
This includes 166,000 individuals who have been waiting since post-1994 and 12,000 since before 1994.
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