The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Lephalale calls for the immediate halt of the planned handover of title deeds at Alto Estate until all basic services are properly installed and fully functional, and residents are no longer subjected to unsafe, undignified and incomplete living conditions.
Residents began moving into the approximately 200 RDP houses from December 2025 after being granted access to “safeguard” them from vandalism – despite the lack of basic service. After nearly a decade of waiting, it was entirely foreseeable that residents would occupy these homes once access was given.
The Limpopo Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) has itself confirmed that critical infrastructure remains outstanding and that the project has not yet reached full completion.
This has resulted in deeply concerning living conditions:
- Residents are forced to resort to undignified alternatives due to inadequate sanitation;
- Families must cross a busy road to access water, placing their safety at risk;
- The lack of electricity has led to the use of open fires, creating serious hazards.
These are not minor defects. They are fundamental service delivery failures that directly impact health, safety and human dignity.
The department’s own progress report confirms that houses were occupied before formal handover while services remained incomplete, and that key infrastructure, including a wastewater treatment facility, is only expected to be completed later in 2026. Residents are therefore using sanitation systems without proper treatment in place, resulting in sewer overflows and ongoing health risks.
Residents are now living in conditions worse than those they were relocated from, while responsibility continues to shift between the municipality and CoGHSTA, with no ownership.
Against this backdrop, the DA questions what exactly is being “handed over” through the issuing of title deeds.
Title deeds should represent secure, dignified ownership of a completed home. Proceeding under these conditions risks presenting a misleading and disturbing picture of delivery while residents continue to endure unacceptable living conditions.
The DA therefore calls for urgent intervention to ensure that all basic services are properly installed and functional, and that clear, transparent timelines for the completion of the project are provided before any formal handover proceeds.
Residents of Alto Estate have waited nearly a decade for proper housing. They deserve not just structures, but fully serviced homes that are safe, functional and dignified — not conditions that amount to a violation of their basic rights and dignity.
The DA will continue to hold both the municipality and the provincial department accountable until residents receive the basic services they were promised.