6 June 2026
The African National Congress (ANC) Study Group on Human Settlements welcomes Friday’s milestone judgment delivered by the Free State High Court, which dismissed an application by the Democratic Alliance (DA) seeking to halt the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality’s #BoduloMothong housing program at the Lourier Park development. The ruling resoundingly vindicates the ANC-led Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality against the obstructionist litigation brought by the Democratic Alliance (DA). This legal victory affirms an orderly, lawful, and planned release of land to protect human dignity, establish safe communities, and provide the poor and working class with access to basic services and habitable land.
It is profoundly troubling that the DA chose to dedicate its energies to frustrating efforts aimed at moving vulnerable families away from hazardous, flood-prone, and overcrowded conditions into safer environments. Ideological differences must not compromise the security of our people. While the ANC-led municipality sought practical solutions to shield our people from harsh winter conditions and poor drainage, the DA chose cold courtroom blockades. This judgment exposes the moral bankruptcy of a politics that exploits human suffering for political point-scoring without offering viable alternatives. Through this judgment, legal obstructionism was defeated, dignity prevailed, and the progressive slogan “#BoduloMothong” won.
CELEBRATING TITLE DEED FRIDAY AND LAND RESTORATION IN THE FREE STATE
In tandem with this judicial victory, the ANC Study Group commends the Free State Department of Human Settlements’ successful rollout of “Title Deed Friday,” marked by the immediate issuance of 90 Title Deeds to rightful beneficiaries. This initiative translates abstract constitutional rights into tangible, wealth-creating assets for ordinary families. Providing a title deed is not merely an administrative exercise; it is an act of historical restitution that brings tenure security, restores pride, and unlocks economic value for long-excluded households.
DISMANTLING APARTHEID LEGISLATION: RESOLVING THE 1962 R293 PROCLAMATION
Moving forward with the agenda of complete radical economic and spatial transformation, the ANC Study Group expresses its unwavering support for the Department of Human Settlements’ aggressive drive to transfer title deeds to property owners trapped under the apartheid-era 1962 R293 Proclamation. For decades, these regulations denied black homeowners outright ownership of their properties, leaving families in a state of permanent tenure insecurity. We highly commend the ANC-led Cabinet for its progressive resolution to transfer these historical assets free of charge to their rightful owners.
To ensure the seamless execution of this national directive, the ANC Study Group makes the following urgent calls to The City of Tshwane Metro to immediately provide support to the national and provincial departments to expedite the free transfer of R293 properties to residents; and to The North West Housing Corporation (NWHC) to actively collaborate and align its processes with the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality to rapidly resolve cross-boundary property registrations and clear all blockages delaying asset transfers to our communities.
Issued by the Whip of the ANC Study Group on Human Settlements, Cde Sello Dithebe
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