Minister Simmers hands over 140 title deeds in Delft and Mbekweni

Today, Western Cape Human Settlements Minister, Tertuis Simmers, handed over 140 title deeds in Delft and Mbekweni, Paarl. From this total, 65 were handed over to residents of Delft and 75 to residents in Mbekweni.

The title deed handover has been made possible through the Department’s Enhanced Extended Discounted Benefit Scheme (EEDBS), which promotes home ownership of pre-1994 government-owned rental housing. The particular handover today also forms part of the Department’s strategic goal to prioritise the elderly for housing opportunities in the Western Cape. 

Minister Simmers said: “Today I could not contain my excitement, as I handed over the 140 title deeds to our beneficiaries. The event allowed us to ensure that 140 deserving beneficiaries become fully-fledged, legal homeowners. Today’s hand over is yet another clear demonstration of the Western Cape Government’s commitment to restoring dignity and creating a better life for the people of this province.

Our continued aim is to give our residents a sense of security and pride in having full ownership of their properties. I was honoured to share in the joy of a momentous occasion in the lives of these beneficiaries.”

The 65 Delft beneficiaries hail from Voorbrug, Eindhoven, The Hague and Roosendal. Residents were able to benefit through the EEDBS programme, as the sale agreements with debtors, who did not honour their agreements, were cancelled. Properties were thus sold to the qualifying current occupants and, where this was not possible, debt write-off was implemented to assist beneficiaries.

The 75 Mbekweni beneficiaries hail from Block A and D. 

“I cannot thank the Minister enough. This is a wonderful occasion. He really cares for the senior citizens and he must continue to do so. It’s a pity my husband has already passed on, as we should be sharing this joyous day together,” said an emotional 75-year-old Frieda Hendricks, who is from Voorbrug in Delft.

“As the Western Cape Government, we will continue striving towards establishing an enabling environment, so that we are better placed to grant beneficiaries security of tenure and make more residents legal homeowners by handing over these title deeds” added Simmers.