Question NW1981 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development

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07 June 2022 - NW1981

Profile picture: Steyn, Ms A

Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development

(1) What is the extent in hectares of (a) unsurveyed and (b) unregistered State land in the Republic; (2) which department is responsible for (a) surveying and (b) registering the State land; (3) what is the extent of the land that has been (a) surveyed and (b) registered in hectares since 1994? NW2321E

Reply:

(1) (a),(b) The result of the 2017 Land Audit indicated a figure of 7 701 605 hectares of land that is unregistered trust state land. This figure consists of both un-surveyed and unregistered land in the Republic. It should be noted that this figure includes national parks, forest reserves, rivers and estuaries and many road and railway reserves amongst others.

(2) (a) Any state department with immovable assets such as land may sanction surveys of such land as and when the need arises. The role of the Chief Surveyor-General (within the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development) is to regulate the survey of land in South Africa. This includes the standards and manner in which land surveys should be carried out as well as the manner in which such survey records should be kept. The regulation of land surveying in South Africa is done through the Land Survey Act, 8 of 1997, and the regulations framed thereunder.

(b) The registration (transfer/vesting) of state land occurs when there is a need for such state land to be transferred from the current custodian government department to the relevant user department, in line with the Government Immovable Asset Management Act, 19 of 2007 read together with Schedule 6 item 28(1) of the Constitution. The transfer of state land may also occur from the state to beneficiaries, and in instances where the state acquires the land. The role of the Chief Registrar of Deeds (within the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development) is to regulate the registration of land in South Africa in accordance with the Deeds Registries Act, 47 of 1937, and the regulations framed thereunder.

(3) (a) Statistics on the survey of state land between 1994 and 2001 are not readily available and would require extensive research. Available records indicate that 356 360.8991 hectares of land has been surveyed since 2001.

(b) 262 175.3100 hectares of the land mentioned in part (3)(a) has been confirmed as registered.

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