It was pure jubilation in Zandspruit in Ward 114 on Thursday, 14 November, as some residents finally received documentation to support their ownership of their homes.
The outgoing City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Herman Mashaba, who holds Zandspruit very close to his heart, and the MMC for Housing, councillor Meshack van Wyk, accompanied by other officials from the City left smiles and tears of joy in the informal settlement, soon-to-be township, when they visited the area to hand over a total of 94 title deeds to the beneficiaries.
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This was the first batch of 406 title deeds that have been promised to Zandspruit. The 312 remaining are still in process and should be delivered soon, according to Thabo Maisela, acting Executive Director for Housing.
Mashaba explained. “The delivery of title deeds in this part of Zandspruit follows the proclamation of Extension 10 as a township in January 2019, which enabled the City of Johannesburg to extend basic services to the area.”
“Water and sanitation, tarred roads, Eskom prepaid electricity, street names and services by Pikitup and Johannesburg Water are currently being provided in Extension 10,” he explained.
He added that as they look at new and innovative ways of addressing the housing challenges in Joburg, they are turning their focus to site-and-service stands. “Therefore, the City is also working on 701 future site-and-service stands in Zandspruit where residents will be given title deeds to serviced sections of land to build their own homes,” he said, emphasising that this project, which includes building of tar roads, was a major development since the dawn of democracy.
So far under his administration, Mashaba has provided over 8 000 title deeds, and said they are committed to continue addressing the inherited housing backlog, which sits at over 300 000 units, and has left many residents without a place to truly call home.
While the handover to the elderly and child-headed families was met with joy, Van Wyk warned the beneficiaries to never trade off their title deeds to opportunists. He also thanked the community of Zandspruit for protecting the land against land grabbers.
“We want to appreciate the people of Zandspruit who made sure the area was not invaded, because we told them if they wanted the area to be developed, they would have to protect it,” he said.
He also touched on the progress with the issuing of title deeds in the city. “The issuing of title deeds in our term of office has been unprecedented. As the MMC for Housing, I’ve made it a priority that residents across the city are presented with their long-awaited title deeds,” he said, hoping that these pieces of paper will open up a meaningful chapter to contribute to the beneficiaries and their families.
He also emphasised that the issuing of title deeds was a key priority to this administration. “Gone are those days when people politicised the issuing of title deeds. Gone are those days when people would issue title deeds because they wanted your vote during elections,” he stated.
A visibly ecstatic recipient, Bulelwa Mary Sonjani, thanked the Mayor for prioritising their needs in Zandspruit, saying that the day will forever be cherished in her heart. “I’m overjoyed by what the City has done for us. We’ve waited a long time for this day and we are grateful to the Mayor and his team for their help. Now I have ownership of my place. I don’t think I will ever forget this day, just like I never forget my birthday,” she exclaimed.
