Minister wants to move deeds office – AfriBusiness

The deeds office in Vryheid may have to move, but not without a proper fight!

This is the opinion of the business rights watchdog, AfriBusiness, after Gugile Nkwinti, the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, decided to move the deeds office from Vryburg to Mahikeng – a decision that will be to the great detriment of communities, lawyers, estate agents and businesspeople from various towns in the North West and Northern Cape. 

AfriBusiness therefore decided in cooperation with the Forum of Concerned Residents of the Naledi and Dr Ruth Mompati Districts (FCR) to bring a court application before the High Court. If the application succeeds, the Minister would be prohibited from moving the deeds office until he has given information and reasons in terms of respectively the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 200 and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 2000 for his decision as well as the public participation process that he had followed. 

“It is important that business communities from these towns mobilise themselves to prevent unilateral decisions such as this one. Various organisations, community members, estate agents and lawyers are dependent on the deeds office, and the business community will simply have to raise their voices to ensure the right thing,” said Stefan Pieterse, the National Spokesperson for AfriBusiness.

Public support is very important to prevent the proposed move. AfriForum therefore requests all community members, lawyers, businesspeople and organisation from the North West and Northern Cape to support this application.  

SMS the word “Aktekantoor” to 45353 (R1 per SMS) to support the court application.

Issued by Stefan Pieterse, Spokesperson: AfriBusiness, 5 November 2015