Lotus River, Grassy Park units for sale

ABOUT 7 500 council-owned rental properties across the metro are available for ownership to qualifying tenants.

Mayco member for Human Settlements Malusi Booi and ward 67 councillor Gerry Gordon conducted a walkabout in Lotus River on Tuesday to engage with Community Residential Unit (CRU) tenants about the programme.

About 42 units are available for sale in Lotus River and Grassy Park.

Booi said: “All our semi-detached units and stand-alone units, where residents have been staying for more than 30 years, the City wants to help them to take ownership of these houses and they can leave these for their children and grandchildren.

“And those who have outstanding debt on these units, they need to come forward so we can scrap some of those debts.”

The cost of the units vary but pensioners will be able to obtain ownership for free with proof of their pensioner status.

“Even transfer fees, which are more expensive, we take that knock as a City,” Booi said.

Gordon said 15 people from within ward 67 had indicated a wish to obtain ownership of their CRUs.

“They’re free standing or semi-detached. So what we are doing is we’re going to do a transfer for them. It won’t carry a cost. The cost will be carried by the City,” Gordon said.

Resident Mustapha Jaftha and his wife Gadija have been in their home for the past 35 years, and said they had first tried to obtain ownership in 1996.

“The challenges that we faced were unemployment. We didn’t have the finances to purchase the house at that time. But now, thanks to everyone involved, they actually made it easier for us to obtain what we have actually grown up in,” Jaftha said.

Booi told the Jafthas the process would start soon and would conclude this year.

Resident Sophia Rex, 65, said: “I feel extremely happy. You won’t believe what a relief it is for me.”

Her family have been living in their unit for about 34 years. As pensioners with dependants and relying solely on social grants, Rex said rental payments had always been a struggle.