Happy Valley homeowners finally receive title deeds
HOMEOWNERS William Morgan and Enith Sayers yesterday received the title deeds to their Happy Valley home in Blackheath, after years of living in limbo.
The excited couple were officially handed the keys to their new home in 2012 but said they felt empowered that they now had proof of property ownership.
Mayco member for human settlements, Benedicta van Minnen yesterday handed beneficiaries 20 title deeds at a press conference in Blue Downs.
The deed handover formed part of the Happy Valley housing project that was completed in 2013.
The project was jointly funded by the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government at a cost of R204 million and extra costs of R50m. The project consists of over 1 400 new houses each constructed at a cost of R35 000.
Morgan, 61, had worked on a grape farm in Polkadraai Road between Stellenbosch and Kuils River in 2002 when he was allegedly blinded by pesticides.
He said the farm managers had not supplied him with protective equipment to shield his eyes when chemicals were sprayed to preserve the grape fields.
Morgan, the sole provider of a family of six, was forced to leave his work because of his disability: “The bosses just chased me away and I got nothing. I took it further to social workers and the hospital but nothing helped.”
Morgan’s life partner, Sayers, 69, said the family makes ends meet with the pension they receive: “The pension does not help much.”
Referring to the title deed handover ceremony she said: “If we did not get food there, we would have had nothing to eat.”
However, despite their hardships, the couple said they are looking forward to tying the knot soon: “He (Morgan) asked me and I wanted to cry. I said ‘yes, of course’, we’ve spent so many years together.”