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That Oprah moment; “You’ve got a Deed and You’ve got a Deed”

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Zosa Street
NMB Executive Mayor Mayor Athol Trollip handing Donovan Plaatjies of Zosa Street a title deed.

Mayor Trollip encouraged residents to look after their title deeds with due consideration as it is proof that they are the legal owners.

Plans are afoot to implement a single housing list that will be available for scrutiny by beneficiaries, and the streamlined implementation of human settlements where houses, keys and title deeds will be handed over to recipients at once.

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor Athol Trollip made this commitment at the handing over of the last five title deeds to home owners of Zosa Street, Korsten.

“There are many challenges in our municipality regarding housing. This was one of the streets that presented a major challenge where more than one family stayed in a house with more family members staying in the backyard.

“Not far from here is Kamma Park. There people stay in temporary housing next to each other and on top of each other. There are no facilities and no services provided. It is difficult and it is a major challenge.

“I recently had a discussion with my colleague, Nqaba Banga, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Human Settlements. We agreed that unless we give a home to a beneficiary with a key and a title deed, we did not do our jobs properly.

“In many instances there are people on the waiting list for housing. They receive accounts even though they are still staying in temporary housing or shacks but they are not living in their houses. Other people live in their houses.

“We are determined not to transfer houses only. We want to transfer a house with a key to the right beneficiary with a title deed. This is necessary because a title deed is the only guarantee that it is your house,” Mayor Trollip said.

He further emphasized that without a title deed; ownership can be disputed and reminded the home owners that they must look after this document meticulously as it also enabled owners to transfer ownership to family members if they choose to.

“The housing waiting list is long with a backlog of 80 000. We are going to create one list and it will be public so that everybody can see where they are on that list. We will also have to prioritize. The elderly and People with Disabilities with be given special consideration,” Mayor Trollip added.

Planning for the upgrade of Zosa Street commenced during 2004 and after attempts failed to acquire private land, fourteen council erven were subdivided which subsequently accommodated 34 families.

An application for funding made to the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Human Settlements which was signed on 13 August 2010. The project was completed in September 2011.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.