94-Year-old Zoar Resident to Receive Title Deed from Minister Madikizela

Two hundred-and-seventy beneficiaries, including 54 pensioners and 94-year-old Louisa Herandien, will today be receiving their title deeds from the Western Cape Human Settlements Minister in a ceremony at Zoar, Kannaland Municipality, Western Cape.

The Department of Human Settlements is focused on creating enabling environments that support people in their journey to economic freedom.

This year marks 100 years since the 1913 Land Act, which effectively dispossessed many South Africans of their land and their right to own land.  Human Settlements has an important role to play in ensuring that people get title deeds to their houses and sites, which helps in redressing the imbalance of the 1913 Land Act.

Under previous administrations in the Western Cape, as in other provinces, many people had received their houses or sites, yet didn’t have title deeds, and were thus unable to participate in the property market or use their homes as collateral for loans. This is why in 2011 the department initiated a study to find out the extent of this problem and it was found that conveyancing hadn’t been done correctly in numerous projects, and that 86 391, or 36% of the beneficiaries in the Western Cape since 1994 hadn’t received ownership.

We have now reduced this backlog to 27%, through the issuing of over 21 000 title deeds that should have previously been issued. With their title deeds, a property is now a freedom that can be used, and is also a contribution towards land reform.

All media are invited

Date: 7 October  2013

Time: 10:30

Venue: Zoar, Kannaland, Western Cape