The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development has back-tracked on the planned indefinite closure of the Pretoria Deeds Office, which resulted in potential legal action to compel the office to resume its services.

According to a Moneyweb report, the department said the office would be closed for business until 16 April due to the relocation of operations to its new offices, and operations would resume on 17 April at the new premises at Berea Park.

‘Deeds management wish to apologise for the inaccurate communication that went out yesterday. We therefore appeal to our clients to bear with us. Other deeds offices across the country remain open,’ it said.

Donald Mokgehle, chairperson of the Pretoria Attorneys Association (PAA) property committee, which met on Thursday to consider possible legal action related to the indefinite closure of the office, agreed after the meeting that it was a futile exercise because the department had changed its mind about the indefinite closure of the office.

But Mokgehle said the PAA remained concerned because ‘it seems that the department can change its mind whenever it wants to’.

Now they are saying operations will resume on 17 April 2023, which was the initial arrangement.

‘So we just have to keep an eye out and make sure that they do what they have set out to do and there are no surprises on 17 April 2023,’ added Mokgehle.

He said he had absolutely no idea why the department changed its mind about the indefinite closure.

‘It seems like the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing,’ he said.

Full Moneyweb report