Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Ntombi Mekgwe has put it on record that beneficiaries of government owned RDP houses do not have to wait for eight years to obtain their title deeds. The MEC was responding to misleading information by DA Gauteng Premier Candidate Mmusi Maimane this week.
In his campaigning trail in Jabavu Soweto Maimane told the residents that the government policy says the owners of RDP houses must wait for eight years before they could receive title deeds for their houses.
The MEC Mekgwe has described the statement by Maimane as misleading and improper. “Maimane has just proven that he does not understand the government policy on the issuing of title deeds. There is no government policy that says people need to wait eight years before they could have access to their title deeds. I would urge Maimane to give himself time to study government policy and stop misleading the residents. These political grand standing is unacceptable,” said MEC Mekgwe.
Mekgwe said section 10A of the Housing Act of 1997 allows beneficiaries to sell their houses after eight years of occupying their RDP houses. She said the first preference is given to government to buy back their property from the beneficiary.
MEC Mekgwe said it is also irresponsible to encourage people who are given RDP houses to sell them. “These are people who came to us and said we can’t afford and we need your help so that we can own property and access to land. If we encourage people to sell their RDP houses we are not as government going to win the war against the mushrooming of shacks because these people will return to the informal settlements and claim there is no service delivery,” said Mekgwe.
Mekgwe highlighted that the delay in the issuing of title deeds in some instances is because of townships establishment and family disputes due to ownership.
The MEC said her department will never use the issuing of title deeds as a campaigning tool as claimed by the DA. “It is unfortunate that the DA will claim that government is only issuing title deeds during this time of elections, this only shows lack of understanding of government policies. Our people have been denied access to own land by the previous government and we need to deal with a backlog that was created decades ago,” said Mekgwe.
“We will however continue with the constitutional mandate to eradicate informal settlements and provide proper human settlements to the residents of Gauteng as we have been doing,” MEC Mekgwe mentioned.
For more information contact:
Motsamai Motlhaolwa
Cell: 079 897 2240
