Winkie Mahlangu, 49, has never had formal employment, yet over the past decade she has managed to build herself a four-bedroom home where she lives with her three children in Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga.
Mahlangu spent about R100 000 building the house on a stand she “bought” for just R160 in 2015.
She ekes out a living through informal trading, buying and selling whatever goods she can turn into a profit.
“It took me 10 years to build this house and I am still building. I want to add a double garage and back rooms that I can rent out to make extra income,” she said.
“The best part about this property is that I do not owe anyone a cent.”
When investment does not count as an asset
Despite the achievement, Mahlangu said her biggest concern is the lack of legal ownership.
Her only proof of tenure is a permission-to-occupy letter issued by the local tribal authority. As a result, the investment she has poured into the property does not translate into a recognised asset.
At one point, she approached the tribal council to ask whether she could sell the property.
“They told me I can sell the house, but not the land it is built on. It means the only thing I own here is the structure, not the land. As much as I have spent on this house, it does not count as an asset because I do not own the land. I love my home and I am not planning to leave, but in terms of assets, it means nothing,” Mahlangu said.
ALSO READ: Tenants paying less than R3k continue to struggle with monthly expenses – report
A different outcome with a title deed
A contrasting experience can be found in KwaZulu-Natal’s township of Inanda.
Nhlanhla Shange, 46, was previously living on land earmarked for a school when the state relocated him and other residents to an alternative site within Inanda.
There, he was allocated a one-bedroom house with a kitchen and lounge. Unemployed at the time and surviving on odd jobs, Shange gradually extended the structure into a three-bedroom house with two bathrooms.
Crucially, the property came with a title deed.
“I came from nothing… but now I have an asset that I can use as collateral. When we were moved, I had nothing to my name. Then I was given a stand with a structure,” he said.
“What I needed to do was to build on what I had, and that tenacity resulted in this house that I can count as an investment. Everything I put into it, is an investment. I do not have insurance for the property only because I cannot afford it. But it is insurable.”
The difference between Mahlangu and Shange’s situations highlights the deep inequality embedded in South Africa’s property system, where millions of households have invested heavily in homes that remain invisible to the formal economy simply because they lack legally recognised ownership.
NOW READ: South African property market poised for growth
About the Author
