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IOL News
10-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Operation Vulindlela Phase II faces hurdles in local governance, spatial integration reforms
Thousands of Gauteng residents have been left in limbo over the past years due to a backlog of title deeds. OV is a joint initiative of the Presidency and the National Treasury which aims to achieve more rapid and inclusive economic growth through a programme of far-reaching economic reforms. Image: Sisonke Mlamla/Independent Newspapers Local government and spatial integration have remained the two most pressing issues in which the government continues to struggle to implement reforms at the onset of Phase II of Operation Vulindlela (OV) even though momentum was gaining traction in other areas. According to the OV progress report for the first quarter for the 2025/26 financial year, reforms on these two were facing significant challenges and an intervention is required. OV is a joint initiative of the Presidency and the National Treasury which aims to achieve more rapid and inclusive economic growth through a programme of far-reaching economic reforms. Seven priority reform areas have been approved by Cabinet as part of OV Phase II, including energy, water, freight logistics, visa system, local government, spatial integration and housing, and digital public infrastructure reform. 'These reforms were selected for their high potential to catalyse investment, enhance economic competitiveness, and create jobs. Phase II represents a second wave of structural reform aimed at unlocking more rapid, inclusive, and sustained economic growth,' said Treasury. 'While continuing to drive implementation of reforms initiated during Phase I, the second phase introduces new focus areas that respond to evolving challenges in the economy.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ According to the report, the standardising and professionalisation of the appointment of senior officials in local government is facing significant challenges and requires intervention. There is also no data or reform has not started yet on shifting local governments to a utility model for water and electricity services to ensure the financial and operational sustainability of municipalities. The report said the next steps would now be to ensure that the final Performance Improvement Action Plans for water and electricity utility turnarounds were tabled for Council approval by participating metros. Another step was to conduct an independent assessment of these Performance Improvement Action Plans to determine eligibility for the performance-based financing incentive and develop a draft White Paper on Local Government outlining institutional reforms to the local government system for wider consultation. In terms of spatial integration, the report noted issues in clearing the backlog of title deeds and making the titling system more accessible and affordable. This comes as the Titling Symposium convened by the National Department of Human Settlements (NDHS) identified the structural barriers to the issuance of title deeds and resulted in an action plan to address the backlog of title deeds. According to the report, a comprehensive analysis of title deeds data for all metros and provinces has been undertaken to determine the backlog for metros and provinces, and to identify properties owned by the state that could be processed for transfer without delay. It said that work was underway between OV and NDHS to redesign the First Home Finance programme and to develop a demand-side subsidy programme for affordable rental housing. Design work is expected to be completed by September 2025. In terms of the next steps, the report said priority was now implementing the action plan to address the title deeds backlog, including by resolving challenges with township establishment and other structural barriers. Another priority will be to complete detailed design work on strengthened demand-side subsidies for affordable rental and ownership, to accelerate the provision of housing units and leverage private sector investment in the housing market. Conducting a comprehensive review of the legal and regulatory framework to identify obstacles to low-cost property development and incentivise housing development in city centres is another step the report recommended to deal with spatial integration. BUSINESS REPORT
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Lack of title deeds: a stumbling block to homeownership that everyone's trying to solve
Thousands of Gauteng residents have been left in limbo over the past years due to a backlog of title deeds. Image: Sisonke Mlamla/Independent Newspapers Despite raising families, repairing leaking roofs and painting the walls year after year, millions of South Africans do not own the homes they have lived in for decades. These are homes filled with memories but lacking one vital thing: a title deed, says Standard Bank. That could change for a thousand families in the foreseeable future. Through a partnership with the Khaya Lam Initiative, a national project working to transfer home ownership to those who have lived without formal recognition, a major title deed drive is underway, bringing long-awaited legal ownership to residents of municipal housing across South Africa. These title deeds will come at no cost to the recipients. But the impact is priceless. 'These are not high-profile or high-value properties. It's municipal homes that house many vulnerable, low-income families. They are occupied by pensioners, child-headed households, and multi-generational families,' says Toni Anderson, the head of Home Services at Standard Bank. The financial institution said it will match every employee donation rand-for-rand to accelerate progress towards the 1 000 title-deeds target. There is an estimated 5 to 7 million municipal homes in South Africa, housing more than 20 million people. Many of these homes were said to have never been formally transferred to the families living in them, often due to lack of capacity in local municipalities or the cost of the legal process. Delivering the Department of Human Settlement(DHS) Budget Vote last week, Minister Thembi Simelane said they remained concerned about the slow delivery of title deeds to beneficiaries. She said the major challenge to this project is the delayed and stalled processes of township establishment and proclamation. In this regard, the minister said they have resolved to seek concessions in respect of certain provisions of the Spatial Planning and Land-Use Management Act (SPLUMA) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) from the respective Ministries, which would enable them to unlock title deeds for 398 194 households. Simelane said the acceleration of the issuing of title deeds will be a critical focus area during the 7th Administration to ensure security of tenure and unlock household asset value. 'We will continue to prioritise our work as part of Operation Vulindlela to accelerate delivery, because coordination between various sector departments is central in assisting to unblock some of the challenges that currently exist.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Khaya Lam intervenes by identifying homes with potential for transfer, verifying rightful occupants, and coordinating with local attorneys to finalise the paperwork. Each transfer costs R3 750, a small amount in bureaucratic terms, but a significant hurdle for families living on the margins. The current initiative, enabled by donations from the bank and its employees, aims to cover these costs for one thousand families. For many recipients, this will be the first legal recognition that the home they've long known to be theirs, is legally recognised as such. 'When you hold your title deed, you hold more than paper, you hold the key to your family's future,' Anderson says. 'You can pass it on, improve it, and most importantly, it becomes an asset these families can leverage when looking for funding.' In 2018, a similar drive by Standard Bank and Khaya Lam saw 100 title deeds handed over to families in the Free State. Now, Standard Bank said it has invited its employees to help fund the initiative, with the company's Corporate Social Investment (CSI) unit matching their contributions rand-for-rand. 'The goal this time is to make the impact ten times bigger. Our hope is that this will spark a much larger movement, one that encourages more partners to step in and help close the massive title deed gap in our country,' Anderson said. Earlier last week, Simelane handed over title deeds to senior citizens or their children to those who had passed away at Bishop Lavis in the City of Cape Town. The minister said a title deed is not merely a piece of paper, but ensures security, stability and a promise of a better future. She added that it is more than a legal document; it is a tangible affirmation of one's right to land, to property, and to a home. It provides families with the ability to invest in their futures, to build wealth and to create an environment where future generations can flourish. Independent Media Property
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Lack of title deeds: a stumbling block to homeownership that everyone's trying to solve
Thousands of Gauteng residents have been left in limbo over the past years due to a backlog of title deeds. Image: Sisonke Mlamla/Independent Newspapers Despite raising families, repairing leaking roofs and painting the walls year after year, millions of South Africans do not own the homes they have lived in for decades. These are homes filled with memories but lacking one vital thing: a title deed, says Standard Bank. That could change for a thousand families in the foreseeable future. Through a partnership with the Khaya Lam Initiative, a national project working to transfer home ownership to those who have lived without formal recognition, a major title deed drive is underway, bringing long-awaited legal ownership to residents of municipal housing across South Africa. These title deeds will come at no cost to the recipients. But the impact is priceless. 'These are not high-profile or high-value properties. It's municipal homes that house many vulnerable, low-income families. They are occupied by pensioners, child-headed households, and multi-generational families,' says Toni Anderson, the head of Home Services at Standard Bank. The financial institution said it will match every employee donation rand-for-rand to accelerate progress towards the 1 000 title-deeds target. There is an estimated 5 to 7 million municipal homes in South Africa, housing more than 20 million people. Many of these homes were said to have never been formally transferred to the families living in them, often due to lack of capacity in local municipalities or the cost of the legal process. Delivering the Department of Human Settlement(DHS) Budget Vote last week, Minister Thembi Simelane said they remained concerned about the slow delivery of title deeds to beneficiaries. She said the major challenge to this project is the delayed and stalled processes of township establishment and proclamation. In this regard, the minister said they have resolved to seek concessions in respect of certain provisions of the Spatial Planning and Land-Use Management Act (SPLUMA) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) from the respective Ministries, which would enable them to unlock title deeds for 398 194 households. Simelane said the acceleration of the issuing of title deeds will be a critical focus area during the 7th Administration to ensure security of tenure and unlock household asset value. 'We will continue to prioritise our work as part of Operation Vulindlela to accelerate delivery, because coordination between various sector departments is central in assisting to unblock some of the challenges that currently exist.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Khaya Lam intervenes by identifying homes with potential for transfer, verifying rightful occupants, and coordinating with local attorneys to finalise the paperwork. Each transfer costs R3 750, a small amount in bureaucratic terms, but a significant hurdle for families living on the margins. The current initiative, enabled by donations from the bank and its employees, aims to cover these costs for one thousand families. For many recipients, this will be the first legal recognition that the home they've long known to be theirs, is legally recognised as such. 'When you hold your title deed, you hold more than paper, you hold the key to your family's future,' Anderson says. 'You can pass it on, improve it, and most importantly, it becomes an asset these families can leverage when looking for funding.' In 2018, a similar drive by Standard Bank and Khaya Lam saw 100 title deeds handed over to families in the Free State. Now, Standard Bank said it has invited its employees to help fund the initiative, with the company's Corporate Social Investment (CSI) unit matching their contributions rand-for-rand. 'The goal this time is to make the impact ten times bigger. Our hope is that this will spark a much larger movement, one that encourages more partners to step in and help close the massive title deed gap in our country,' Anderson said. Earlier last week, Simelane handed over title deeds to senior citizens or their children to those who had passed away at Bishop Lavis in the City of Cape Town. The minister said a title deed is not merely a piece of paper, but ensures security, stability and a promise of a better future. She added that it is more than a legal document; it is a tangible affirmation of one's right to land, to property, and to a home. It provides families with the ability to invest in their futures, to build wealth and to create an environment where future generations can flourish. Independent Media Property
