The life of a 67-year old man, David van Gent, changed for the better when he officially became the owner of his own home after years of waiting.
Van Gent was one of more than 110 residents who received the title deeds to their houses from Kouga Executive Mayor, Horatio Hendricks, and Speaker, Hattingh Bornman, on Monday (9 November 2020) at a ceremony at the Pellsrus Community Hall.
The handing over of the title deeds was part of Kouga Municipality’s Human Settlements Strategy to inculcate a sense of ownership and responsibility among home beneficiaries.
During his keynote address the Speaker said: “It is an honour for me to be part of this handing-over ceremony today and it gives me great joy to be part of the strides made by the municipality to restore dignity to the people of Pellsrus”.
He said the initiative gave residents the opportunity to own homes in a country where the majority of people did not own their own land or property.
“Title deeds can also be used by home-owners to secure finance for other investments in their future,” he said.
The Executive Mayor congratulated the beneficiaries.
“Home-ownership does not only improve the prospects of the older generation. It also leads to improved educational outcomes for the younger generation, as families are more stable and don’t have to worry about possible evictions,” said the Executive Mayor.
He reiterated that community members must look after their homes and guard their title deeds to ensure that they can pass them on to the next generations.
He said title deeds would also be handed over to property owners in other areas of the Kouga region over the coming weeks.