The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday said it had realised that the housing issue would not be solved overnight but stressed that it remained the party’s priority.

This comes as the DA-led City of Tshwane revealed that it had already issued more than half of the 6 000 title deeds that it aimed to issue in the 2017/2018 financial year.

Mary Khanyisa Malope from Extension two in Hamanskraal is among 3 000 families who have received title deeds across Tshwane.

“The title deeds backlog left by the previous African National Congress [ANC] administration is currently estimated to be at 7 892 uncollected title deeds, this is because the ANC was too busy enriching themselves to care about meeting the needs of the people,” said DA Gauteng Provincial Leader John Moodey.

The DA recently issued title deeds to home owners in Atteridgeville, Olievenhoutbosch, Winterveldt, Cullinan, Soshanguve, Hamanskraal and Mamelodi.

Moodey said the DA-led administration in the City of Tshwane had been hard at work upgrading informal settlements, and added that 52 Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses were built with the money raised from the Mayoral mansion sale.

“Nine hundred new houses have been completed and have been allocated to beneficiaries in Refilwe Manor, Fort West, Mamelodi, Zithobeni, Kudube and Olievenhoutbosch,“ Moodey added.

Another 471 residents were also moved from the dolomitic Brazzaville to serviced stands in Atteridgeville Extension 19.

Moodey assured that total change was on the way for the people of Tshwane and Gauteng.