MORE than 600 residents received the title deeds to their RDP houses at a special Nelson Mandela Day event at Humansdorp yesterday.
The event was one of three activities hosted by Kouga Municipality in celebration of late President Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday.
Kouga Executive Mayor Horatio Hendricks said 631 title deeds were handed out to residents from the Humansdorp suburbs of Youth Camp, Vaaldam, Gill Marcus and old Arcadia at the Kruisfontein Community Hall.
“These beneficiaries have been waiting for more than a decade for the title deeds to their houses.
“Some of the recipients are over 80 years old and have never had proof that they own their homes. We changed that today by giving them what is rightfully theirs.”
Hendricks said giving people title deeds to their houses was an effective means of empowering communities economically and restoring human dignity.
“The plight of dispossessed people is best addressed through expanding ownership of land and property. The right to own land speaks to the restoration of human dignity, which lay very close to Tata Madiba’s heart.”
He said the Mandela Day programme followed on the work started by his predecessor, the late Elza van Lingen, at Thornhill on Human Rights Day when she distributed more than 200 title deeds to residents.
“Since her passing, we have come across a further 1 688 title deeds that have been lying around in store rooms and offices at the municipality for years.
“Today marks the handing over of the first batch of these. The remaining 1 057 will be handed out at Sea Vista, KwaNomzamo, Patensie, Hankey, Jeffreys Bay and Thornhill from August to October.
“We also expect to find more title deeds and will ensure that each one of them reaches the rightful recipient.”
In addition to the title deed programme, Kouga Municipality also fixed up the house of KwaNomzamo’s oldest resident, Rosy Napu (108) on Nelson Mandela Day.
The municipality further partnered with the Fountains Mall to collect used or spare baby clothing, to be distributed to organisations that work with orphaned and vulnerable babies.
