CADASTRAL OFFICER

The Department of Land Reform and Rural Development is seeking a Cadastral Officer to join its Examination Services component in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. This role sits at the heart of South Africa’s land administration system, where accuracy and attention to detail directly support the legal integrity of cadastral records. The successful candidate will be responsible for the full lifecycle of cadastral documents, from the moment a new survey is submitted through to approval, registration, archival, and eventual public dissemination. Working with both alpha-numeric data and spatial datasets, the officer ensures that every land parcel, lease, servitude, and approved diagram is correctly captured, verified, and maintained in line with legislated processes.

To be considered, applicants must hold a Grade 12 certificate together with a National Certificate in Geomatics or a Survey Officer Certificate at NQF Level 5, and must have completed the prescribed training required to fulfil the qualification. The role demands solid computer literacy and a working understanding of spatial data, as well as knowledge of the functions of Surveyors’-General Offices. In addition, the ideal candidate will demonstrate good interpersonal relations, clear verbal and written communication, proficiency with relevant computer software, and strong organisational ability. These competencies are essential in a division that handles complex technical documents and interacts with both internal stakeholders and external clients such as land surveyors and the public.

The duties are broad and technically demanding. The officer must capture alpha and numeric information from newly submitted cadastral documents, perform mathematical consistency checks, verify data for proposed new land parcels, and update databases by adding or amending every approved document. Historical cadastral documents also require capture and verification, and the officer must ensure the maintenance of all records according to legislative procedures. This includes processing withdrawals or cancellations, deducting, cancelling and endorsing documents that contain registered land parcels, leases or servitudes, amending approved and registered documents, inserting newly approved documents into the archive, extracting and issuing records, refiling returned items, and repairing records to keep them usable. Technical examination is another major component, covering diagrams, general plans, survey records, sectional title plans, and other lodgements, as well as checking designations and updating noting sheets for every approved cadastral land parcel.

Beyond the internal record-keeping and examination work, the officer plays a key client-facing role. This includes supplying survey data to land surveyors, disseminating cadastral information to the public in hard copy or digital format, and providing aerial photographs, rectified imagery, and maps from the National Geo-spatial Information unit according to signed service level agreements. Spatial data duties involve capturing newly submitted documents to detect any spatial overlaps before approval, adding new land parcels to spatial datasets, and maintaining an accurate cadastral spatial dataset that incorporates historical data. The officer must also scan cadastral documents upon approval, amendment, endorsement, or withdrawal, re-scan updated documents, and link the deposited scanned images to the corresponding alpha-numeric data.

This vacancy carries specific employment equity targets, with preference for Coloured, Indian and White males and females, as well as persons with disabilities, in accordance with the department’s transformation goals. The position is based at the Pietermaritzburg office in KwaZulu-Natal and offers a structured entry-level grade within the public service. Candidates should be prepared for a meticulous, regulation-driven environment where the accuracy of every entry and scan protects the country’s land tenure system. This is an excellent opportunity for a qualified geomatics or surveying graduate to apply their technical training in a meaningful government role with direct impact on land administration and service delivery.