Eastern Cape hands 254 Komani families title deeds for homes they already lived in
Human Settlements MEC Siphokazi Lusithi says the department's job does not end when a house is built, and the province is now chasing 2 237 registrations this financial year.
Monica Pityana has lived in her Komani house for years. This week she became its legal owner.
Pityana was one of 254 beneficiaries in Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape who received title deeds to their government-subsidised homes, ending a wait that for many had stretched well past the day they moved in.
“I am very happy that I finally received my title deed. My patience finally paid off,” Pityana said.
For her the document carries more than proof of ownership. Pityana lost both her children. The house, she said, is now the family’s anchor for her grandchildren.
“I had two children, but sadly, they both passed away. I am now left with my grandchildren, and this is their home. Knowing that the house is now legally ours means a lot to me because it will remain in the family,” she said.
The deeds were handed over by Eastern Cape Human Settlements MEC Siphokazi Lusithi, part of a provincial drive to speed up the registration and issuing of title deeds to qualifying beneficiaries. The 254 recipients are beneficiaries of the Queenstown Nomzamo 599 (501) Human Settlements Project, which built subsidised homes for families in need in Komani. They were identified through a verification process run by the department with Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality.
Lusithi said government’s responsibility does not stop at handing over a house. It extends to making sure the family holds secure legal ownership of it.
“This is part of the department’s commitment to restoring people’s dignity through security of tenure, one title deed at a time,” the MEC said. A title deed, she added, is a family asset that provides security and can benefit generations.
Lusithi also visited elderly beneficiaries at their homes to hand over deeds personally. The home visits were followed by a community engagement session and a formal handover ceremony at the community hall.
According to the department, 1 666 title deeds were registered in the 2025/26 financial year, meeting its annual target. For 2026/27 it has set a target of 2 237 deeds as it intensifies registration and handover work across the province.
The account above rests on the government’s own summary of the handover, published by SAnews, the South African Government News Agency, rather than on the underlying registration records.
Source: SAnews (South African Government News Agency), Years of waiting pays off for new title deed holder
