Pretoria: The launch of the Electronic Deeds Registration System (eDRS) is set to advance South Africa’s land registration process through the use of technology that will enhance the delivery of deeds registration information to the general public and clients. The system was launched by the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development (DLRRD) through the Office of the Chief Registrar of Deeds.
According to South African Government News Agency, the innovative system provides for the Chief Registrar of Deeds to develop, establish and maintain the electronic deeds registration system by using information and communications technologies for the preparation, lodgement, registration, execution, and storing of deeds and documents. This comes as the Electronic Deeds Registration Systems Act 19 of 2019, came into full operation on Tuesday, 1 April 2025, as per Proclamation 250 of 2025.
In a statement, Chief Registrar of Deeds, Carlize Knoesen, said the system is designed to replace the traditional manual registra
tion methods with a streamlined digital system that enhances security, reduces turnaround times, and combats corruption. The platform will also allow practitioners to lodge deeds directly from any location in the country to the designated office for the registration of properties.
Key features of the eDRS include information provisioning, where the online portal is now accessible to the public for all information related to registered deeds and documents, and electronic access, with Deeds Registries’ registers and documents currently available to clients without the need to physically visit a Deeds Registry. Furthermore, the electronic registration process and related system module have entered a pilot phase, after which it will be rolled out to the entire user base.
Knoesen explained that a dual registration process will be in place over the next five years, allowing for both manual and electronic lodgement and registration at the discretion of the conveyancer. ‘Once registration is completed electronicall
y, manual registration will no longer be permitted. The manual registration procedure will be phased out gradually and will ultimately be replaced by an electronic system,’ Knoesen said.
The Chief Registrar also noted that the eDRS will be further enhanced to cater for outstanding registration procedures, with the aim to repeal the Deeds Registries Act 47 of 1937, and the Electronic Deeds Registration System Act 19 of 2019. ‘The new legislation is expected to be concluded by 2030. It is envisaged that all deeds registration processes will at this point be solely electronic,’ Knoesen said.