DA confronts land minister on disputed Deeds Office regulations

By Akani Nkuna

The Democratic Alliance has taken aim at newly implemented regulations in South Africa’s Deeds Office, calling them discriminatory and unconstitutional.

In a formal letter to Land Reform and Rural Development Minster Mzwanele Nyhontso, the party has demanded an immediate withdrawal of the contentious policy and suspension of its enforcement.

The new rule requires parties involved in a property transfer to declare their race in writing, or risk having their transaction rejected.

The DA has warned that the regulations could undermine property rights, promote racial divisions and erode principles of non-racialism, setting a dangerous precedent for governance and public service delivery across the country.

“The DA strongly believes that these regulations are an invasion and infringement of every property transferee’s right to privacy and personal information. Parties trying to get their transactions through the Deeds Office are understandably raising fears on what this information will be used for,”