Registration of Deeds
This department is managed by Dave Samuel, Colin Cilliers, Lourens Liebetrau and Francois van Pletzen and covers all aspects relating to property and property law in the Free State and Lesotho. The work comprises mainly the preparation and registration of mortgage bonds for a large financial institution; deeds of transfer for a large mining company on the Free State gold fields as well as local clients in the Free State and Lesotho; bonds and notarial lease agreements for an oil company; estate transfers for one of the trust companies; cessions of mineral rights for mining companies; opening of sectional title schemes for local clients as well as correspondents; all types of deeds, consents and applications on behalf of correspondents in the Free State and the rest of the country; registration of new townships, subdivision and consolidation of properties and sectional titles, as well as staff housing schemes. Modern technology including specialised computer software programs are used to facilitate the obtaining of instructions and the preparation of documents. A major area of involvement during the past ten years has been the establishment of townships for the previously disadvantaged communities, the opening of township registers for many of the towns occupied by these communities of the Free State, extensive work in leaseholds, certificates of ownership and particularly in relation to the upgrading of informal settlements.