LAND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

The Land Administrative Officer position is a key operational role within the Small-Holder Farmers Production directorate of the national Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, based in Gauteng at Pretoria. This level 08 post is central to the department’s mandate of managing and disposing of agricultural state land in a productive, compliant, and sustainable manner. The role is broad and hands-on, combining land administration, infrastructure oversight, client advisory work, financial administration, and database management. It is an OSD-graded position that requires a proactive, organised individual capable of working both independently and as part of a team, often under extended working hours to meet operational demands.

To be considered, applicants must hold a National Diploma in Agriculture at NQF Level 6, coupled with at least two years of relevant experience in land or land reform administration. The role demands a solid working knowledge of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), computer literacy, analytical thinking, planning and organising, and project management. In addition, the successful candidate will need strong facilitation skills, initiative, interpersonal abilities, problem-solving capacity, and the ability to interpret findings and compile clear reports. A valid driver’s licence is essential, as the work involves regular farm inspections and travel. The department also expects the incumbent to be comfortable with extended working hours when required.

The core duties revolve around facilitating the disposal of agricultural state land. This includes identifying repossessed farms through the Debt Management process, appointing caretakers to safeguard the properties, facilitating farm evaluations to determine productive market value, advertising farms through local media, appointing successful candidates, and preparing lease agreements. Beyond disposal, the officer provides crucial infrastructure support by ensuring proper maintenance and caretaking of farms, conducting inspections to assess their condition, performing needs analyses to identify gaps, and overseeing essential interventions such as the eradication of poisonous plants, construction of gabions and fire breaks, and rehabilitation of dams.

The role also extends to rendering advisory services to inter-governmental departments and clients on land management matters. This involves responding to state land queries, handling parliamentary queries routed through the ministerial office, and providing practical farming advice to lessees and clients. Financial administration is another significant responsibility: the officer must send monthly statements to lessees, follow up on non-paying clients, liaise with finance to verify payments, facilitate evictions of non-compliant lessees, and refer non-payers to legal services. Finally, the officer maintains several databases, including the provincial and state land database, the asset management database, records of new farm developments, and job creation and applicant databases. This is a multifaceted role suited to a detail-driven professional who can balance field work, stakeholder engagement, and administrative accuracy. The department’s employment equity target for this post favours Whites, Coloured Females, and persons with disability, and all applicants should be prepared to work in a dynamic, service-oriented environment.