For Department of Land Reform and Rural Development to review
Department of Land Reform and Rural Development has not yet seen this page. It describes the organisation only through what it has said or done, and through what others named here have said about it. The Forum has not approached Department of Land Reform and Rural Development about anything. Until Department of Land Reform and Rural Development has approved the text, it may change. Questions for Department of Land Reform and Rural Development:
- Is this description of the department and its role on Farm 39 correct? What would you like to change?
- Since the split of April 2025, which department is custodian of the land at Madiba Park and of Farm 39?
- Which office handles TRANCRAA for Genadendal, and how can residents reach it?
- Should readers reach you through the moderators, or through a public contact?
The Department of Land Reform and Rural Development (DLRRD) is the national department for land reform, land administration, restitution, and rural development [IC]. It was formed when the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) was divided in two, a split finalised on 1 April 2025 [IC]. Pages on this site name DALRRD, or the earlier Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, as the department responsible for the Transformation of Certain Rural Areas Act and as custodian of the land at Madiba Park [IC].
What the letters in square brackets mean
Facts on this page are followed by a tag that shows where they come from.
- [IC] Independently Corroborated. Confirmed by an official record, such as a government notice or a court or council record, or by at least two sources that do not depend on each other.
- [MS] Mission-Sourced. Comes from the organisation’s own website or statements, from the statements of a group it works with, or from the Forum’s own records. It has not been checked against sources that do not depend on them.
- [TBV] To Be Verified. Seems likely, but nobody has confirmed it from a reliable source yet.
At a glance
| Kind | Government |
| Based in | Not yet known |
| Website | Not yet known |
| Role | National department for land reform; custodian of state land [IC] |
| Link to the valley | Direct. Farm 39 and Madiba Park fall under its land reform laws |
| Contact with the Forum | Not approached |
What it does
The department focuses on land reform, land administration, restitution, and rural development [IC]. Its Western Cape provincial office registers communal property associations [MS].
How its work reaches the valley
- Farm 39. TRANCRAA, the law that decides who will own Farm 39, is the responsibility of the national Minister for land reform [IC]. In 2010 the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform published A to Z of the Transformation of Certain Rural Areas Act [IC].
- Madiba Park. Madiba Park stands on Farm 39 land, and the national department is the custodian of that land [IC]. In January 2019 the municipality said it had “appealed many times to the Department of Rural Development and the GTC to let the residents of Madiba Park stay there temporarily” [MS].
- Other laws. The department is also responsible for the Communal Property Associations Act, the Interim Protection of Informal Land Rights Act, and the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act [IC].
Where it touches this site
- Transformation of Certain Rural Areas Act and TRANCRAA and Farm 39: The Land Transfer Process, which set out the department’s part in the transfer of Farm 39.
- Madiba Park: Land Status and Basic Services and Next Door, Different Rules, on Madiba Park.
- Genadendal Transformasie Komitee, the body in Genadendal that works on TRANCRAA.
What is still open
- Which department holds custodianship of Farm 39 and Madiba Park since the split of April 2025. Pages on this site still name DALRRD.
- Which office handles TRANCRAA for Genadendal.
Have your say
If you know more about Department of Land Reform and Rural Development’s work in the valley, contact the moderators via How to Submit.
Related
References
- Parliament of South Africa. Agriculture and Land Committees engage departments on restructuring progress. The split, finalised on 1 April 2025, and the new department’s focus.
- Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. A to Z of the Transformation of Certain Rural Areas Act (revised July 2010).
- Polity. DA statement on Madiba Park (29 September 2022). The municipality’s letters to the national Minister.