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The New Year began on a high note for 619 beneficiaries of government-subsidized homes as they received their long-awaited title deeds in Tekwane South in the City of Mbombela, Mpumalanga.

The beneficiaries include 74-year-old Nana Santumela, who together with another beneficiary, 72-year-old Ms Esther Mhlabane, also receives social services from the government.

Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete, led a delegation on a two-day service delivery programme in the province, which also included engagements with contractors, developers and members of the community, amongst others. The engagement focused on opportunities in the human settlement sector. Other discussions focused on policy enhancements as envisaged in the Human Settlements White Paper, released for written public submissions.

The issuing of title deeds is one of the government priorities to restore full property of ownership and bestowing security of tenure. Other interventions to respond to the gap market include programmes such as First Home Finance and Social Housing, Upgrading Informal Settlements, and the delivery of fully subsidized government housing.

“Everywhere, every week, every province and MECs and Mayors must issue title deeds as a matter of urgency to give back dignity to people and ensure home ownership, even for the most vulnerable in society,” said Minister Kubayi.

Meanwhile, Minister Kubayi has also made a clarion call to contractors and developers to partner with the government through the Department of Human Settlements to increase affordable housing for people who do not qualify for fully subsidized government homes.

“Contractors should seize these opportunities to increase stock for other programmes such as First Home Finance for the missing middle income earners. This is one of the growth points for the Department, she added, while also highlighting various opportunities on offer including the Government Employee Housing Scheme - which enables home ownership for public servants.

The increased delivery of affordable housing stock will enable the government to respond to in-migration, which mainly affects Metropolitan Municipalities and secondary cities, such as Mbombela.
 
“We are working with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) to respond to migration through specific funding. This will enable the government to work with the private sector to deliver more affordable housing units,” said Minister Kubayi.

The Ministerial visit to Mpumalanga was also used as a platform to solicit inputs on the Human Settlements White Paper released for public comments. The White Paper is aimed at improving how the Department executes its mandate, including social housing which can be converted into rent-to-own opportunities to increase home ownership. The public has until 31 January to make written inputs on the White Paper, which can be accessed here https://bit.ly/3vwvOF9.

Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete applauded the Mpumalanga provincial government for availing economic opportunities for women-owned contractors, including youth and people with disabilities. She also emphasised a need for result-driven transformation in the sector in which women can play a much bigger role than they deserve, citing that women always ensure the timely delivery of projects compared to their male counterparts.

The allocation of government-subsidised homes was also receiving attention, with Minister Kubayi announcing to community members that a team will be established to conduct verification of all houses in Tekwane South, a process which will involve all three spheres of government. Moreover, residents were cautioned against the fraudulent occupation of projects which hampers on government efforts to deliver sustainable human settlements.

The two-day programme concluded with the launch of the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) Mbombela Satellite Office, led Deputy Minister Tshwete and MEC Speed Mashilo.

The CSOS is an agency of the Department of Human Settlements responsible for regulating the conduct of parties within community schemes. The expansion of the CSOS footprint seeks to better service communities and follows the recent launches of other satellite offices in Limpopo and Western Cape provinces.

"I want to congratulate CSOS on this milestone of launching an office in Mpumalanga. This is indicative of an organisation that is growing in its service and reaching more people in the country," said Deputy Minister Tshwete.

Issued by Department of Human Settlements