Minister Didiza’s interventions in the Cape Town deeds office welcomed

We welcome the confirmation today by the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, that she has met with the Chief Registrar of Deeds and all provincial registrars to put a concrete plan in place to address challenges of backlogs in all deeds offices.

This includes the implementation of a number of emergency measures including:

• Allowing for the examination of documents at home to fast-track the process
• An increased attendance of staffing at the Western Cape deeds office
• Re-arrangement of the offices to ensure social distancing and safety of staff
• The provision of tools to allow for officials to work from home where possible
• Efforts to minimise closure of deeds offices, such as only decontaminating affected areas and not whole buildings and also allowing staff to work from home.

This announcement follows calls from myself and industry bodies to address the repeated and, at times unnecessary, closure of the Cape Town deeds office which is having a considerable negative impact on the property and real estate industry in the Western Cape. 

Our Department of Economic Development and Tourism stands ready to advise on the implementation of workplace safety measures at the deeds office, and I look forward to engaging with Minister Didiza on the matter should it be required. 

The smooth running of processes like deeds registration are key to the success of investments in the economy and new investments are of course a vital aspect of economic recovery and growth in the Western Cape, and so we look forward to these plans being implemented immediately.