Simmers Hands Over Title Deeds and IT Equipment

On Tuesday, 22 October 2024, Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, visited the community of Mamre, outside Cape Town, where he handed over title deeds to beneficiaries, and IT equipment and furniture to Mamre Primary School.

Mamre is one of twenty-four ‘Act 9 of 1987’ rural areas in South Africa, which meant that residents could not, by law, own land within the area. It is, therefore, a special and significant milestone for the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (DOI) and the community of Mamre.

At the occasion, Minister Simmers said, “It gives me great pleasure to hand over these final 23 title deeds to beneficiaries and share with them this special moment. In total, 684 title deeds have been handed over to the community. My department is fully committed to making the many beneficiaries of our housing projects homeowners and playing our part in addressing the ills of the past and building a better future for all.”

The DOI took the opportunity to visit the nearby Mamre Primary School, where Minister Simmers had the pleasure of handing over a donation of 15 laptops and furniture to teachers and learners.

Principle Reuben Abels assured Minister Simmer that this donation will be used exclusively to the benefit of their learners. “The equipment will be used to make our children better residents in our town and our province, with a keen eye on the future,” Principal Abels said.

Minister Simmers concluded, “This outreach programme of my department started with the ‘67 minutes for Mandela Day’ initiative, which I have extended to 67 days. But we are now far beyond 67 days and we hope that we can continue this programme well into the future. Our day-to-day work as a department focuses on building infrastructure that benefits and empowers our communities, but we also make an effort where we can to go above and beyond our daily tasks and extend a helping hand to our vulnerable communities.”