Title deed tangle has residents fearing they’ll lose their homes

Residents of Enxiweni, near Tembisa in Ekurhuleni, fear they will lose their homes amid an ongoing battle with the municipality.

They claimed the title deeds for government-subsidised houses allocated to them had been withheld since 2009, when they received the homes.

Nomsa Baba, who represents a group of residents who own 121 houses in ward 14, said they feared they would be forced out of their homes because they did not have the title deeds.

Recalling the fond moment when she received her house in 2009, she said: “The mayor (Mzwandile Masina) was present when the government allocated our new homes to us. We don’t understand why we cannot be given title deeds for our own homes.

“We are worried our title deeds will be given to someone else and we will be forced to leave our homes.”

Ward councillor Nomusa Mathebula said she had reviewed the matter with the community and there had been meetings with members of the mayoral committee for human settlements on the issue. Some people had received their deeds.

“The deeds will be given to the relevant homeowners,” Mathebula added.

Ekurhuleni MMC for human settlements Lesiba Mpya said it was difficult to trace homeowners.

“We have about 14,000 title deeds in our possession and we have assigned [an official] to go door-to-door and locate the house numbers which title deeds have been allocated for,” Mpya said.

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