“Yes, I am the homeowner.”
These were the proud words of 35 Snake Valley residents who received the title deeds to their homes in Khayamandi they were living in for more than two decades last Thursday (21 November).
The beneficiaries gathered at AmaZink Live in the local township, where municipal officials officially handed over the deeds to the various homeowners.
The Snake Valley maisonettes were handed to local residents in November 2003. Despite the completion of the housing project it was never registered at the deed office, which meant the deeds could not be handed over.
Since then the Free Market Foundation (FMF), sponsored by the Rupert Foundation, has worked to get the 20-year-old housing project registered and, by extension, ensure residents received their deeds through the Khaya Lam project.
Two fieldworkers were appointed to help people with disabilities complete the relevant paperwork at home. Along with the process of obtaining the deeds, the foundation also offered consumer-education sessions to help locals understand what homeownership entails and the responsibilities that go with it.
Through this education residents were also informed of what functions are the responsibility of Stellenbosch Municipality and which their own.
“Now you have these deeds, guard them well,” Temba Nolutshungu, director of the FMF, told the homeowners.
“Take care not to get yourself swindled out of your homes. You get these people who see you may be struggling and who say they will give you a R5 000 loan to help, but they want your deeds as collateral for the money. Do not do it!”
Nolutshungu quoted late former President Nelson Mandela, who said: “A man is not a man until he has a house of his own.”
He told residents that with their deeds they now have an economic asset that no-one can take away from them. “Today you are no longer the have not’s. Take care of these homes because the municipality will not be giving you another.”
For Elda Nobelungu (68) and her six children it was a happy day. She said with the help of her adult children, they take care of the home and are happy there.
Fezeka Nkitini (45) said she has waited years for Thursday’s event. “This really means a lot,” she told Eikestadnuus. “It is a good day, and I’m happy I am now the owner of the house. I live with my two children, 16 and 24 years old, and we are all glad,”
More work lies ahead for FMF with the second batch of Snake Valley residents, who will soon receive their title deeds. An intern town planner will also soon join the municipality and focus on projects in Khayamandi, Cloetesville and Klapmuts.
