The challenge is on to give 1 000 new homeowners their keys and title deeds by the end of December. The City’s #FestiveDeedsChallenge was launched today at a title deed event in Lentegeur. More than R21 million has been allocated to boost this initiative.
‘I’ve set the challenge to the City’s Human Settlements Directorate to empower at least 1 000 of our qualifying residents with title deeds and keys to their own homes by the end of December. Our good deeds Festive Deeds Challenge is a first of its kind. I’ve been appointed to help drive human settlements delivery and to make sure we shift to the highest gear to speed up delivery and empower more qualifying residents as first-time homeowners.
‘I know so intricately how important a title deed is. My grandmother and her siblings received their title deeds as part of a restitution process and it is thus integral to my being to drive empowerment and redress for our qualifying families, and generations to come. We need to do more. Do it better. Do it faster. This campaign will put in place more resources to find beneficiaries and better tracking and tracing, while also making sure we hand over more keys to beneficiaries. I will also be going door-to-door to find beneficiaries and give them their deeds. We have set aside a total of some R21,6 million this year to deliver title deeds.
‘We have various title deeds on our registry, from new and current projects, some for rental projects and delayed transfers, and others are historic deeds that have never been collected from the City and where we have been unable to trace many of the beneficiaries of old government housing projects. The Human Settlements Directorate currently has more than 12 000 title deeds on its registry. The Festive Deeds Challenge is the first step of giant leaps to come and I say ‘challenge accepted’,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Carl Pophaim.
Events and door-to-door visits, as well as tracking and tracing efforts will be expanded over the next two months and beyond in areas such as Mitchells Plain, Nomzamo, Hout Bay, Ocean View, Atlantis, Hanover Park, Nyanga, Bonteheuwel, Heideveld, Gugulethu, Bishop Lavis, Simon’s Town, Durbanville, Khayelitsha and many others.
