Hundreds in Kuyga receive title deeds
MORE than 200 Kuyga residents are now officially homeowners after finally receiving the title deeds to their houses from Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip yesterday.
Some of the residents had been waiting for the ownership documents since 2005, it emerged yesterday.
Accompanied by human settlements political head Nqaba Bhanga, Ward 40 councillor Jason Grobbelaar and DA councillor Sebenzile Rafani, Trollip told the residents they were not homeowners until they had the title deeds.
“You may be living in a shack with your house occupied by someone else because you were never given the title deed,” Trollip said.
He advised the recipients to keep the documents in a safe place.
“If you are given an RDP house without a title deed, you are just an occupier. In the event of your death, the succession of that house becomes an issue of dispute,” Trollip said.
He encouraged the recipients to improve the condition of their houses.
Some residents used the opportunity to lodge complaints about other housing-related matters.
Some said there were families fighting over houses after the rightful beneficiaries had died, and they required the municipality’s intervention.
Grobbelaar said he would convene another meeting to deal specifically with their complaints.
Trollip said all housing-related questions could be resolved through interaction.
He also emphasised the importance of having a written will to avoid squabbles in the event of a death.
Bhanga told title deed recipients about the responsibilities that go with being a homeowner.
“There is no government policy that says we must rebuild your house if it is destroyed by fire when you have a title deed, unless there’s a disaster,” he said.
He said the municipality could not reissue title deeds if they were lost or worn out, and it would be the responsibility of homeowners to obtain and pay for this through lawyers.