For the first time since the end of apartheid, 80 people will own their own homes in Aberdeen in the Eastern Cape. The private sector is playing their part in the land reform process by filling the gap, and helping residents of areas get their land back.
The Khaya Lam project looks to bring economic and social upliftment through property ownership. This projects first target is to get ten thousand title deeds handed over.
Established 1856, Aberdeen was mainly inhabited by coloured people during the apartheid regime. Now its district is best known for its wool and mohair.
71 year old Elsie Jacobs was born and bred in this little town just 50 kilometers outside Graaff-Reinet. She has lived in in Hagershein for 18 years. This will be the first time in her life she doesn’t have to pay R50 for rent.
“It was so interesting for me. I want to say thank you for the privilege I’ve been given. Jesus blessed me with this I am so grateful for what has happened.”
60 year old Okker Gouws is much like Jacobs. He grew up and married in Aberdeen, and watched his two sons grow up and have families of their own.
He built his current house in 1962 when he got married. “I am very happy I feel satisfied about today. And I’m very happy about the deed I got because we’ve been waiting very long for it. But it was presented to us today.”
The backlog of housing from people indigenous to the area is the main reason why these title deeds are being handed back.
“The challenge however is that we’d like our people to keep these title deeds. Because you find that people outside the community, like the loan sharks, just like they do with the SASSA cards and so on… we advise out people to not give their title deeds to those people who wants to use it for their own purposes – because we are also faced with the challenge that some of our brothers are giving the houses out, and then go back and squat again. So we really want people to a tick to their title deeds,” says Beyers Naude Municipality mayor, Deon De Vos.
The project will see over 300 title deeds being handed over in and around Stellenbosch in the Western Cape next month.
