LATEST COMMUNICATION – DEEDS OFFICES WILL OPEN ON 13TH MAY 2020
Office of the Registrar of Deeds Pietermaritzburg
Registrar Circular No: 4 of 2020
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RISK-ADJUSTED APPROACH FOR THE GRADUAL RETURN OF THE EMPLOYEES TO THE WORKPLACE
DATE: 12 May 2020
1. Background:
South Africa as a Nation was forced to take aggressive action against an invisible enemy that threatened our lives and the lives of our loved ones. We have been forced to adopt to a new way of living and of doing things in a short space of time. The coronavirus causes the disease known as COVID-19, a respiratory illness for which humans currently have no immunity and for which there is no cure.
2. Purpose of the Circular:
It is to outline the Occupational Health and Safety obligations of Deeds Office: Pietermaritzburg in taking precautionary measures to protect the workplace, employees, public and clients from the spread of communicable diseases such as COVID -19.
The conveyancers and staff are implored to understand the difficult situation the office will be operating under. In terms of the Department of Agriculture, Rural-development and Land Reform circular 06 of 2020, Pietermaritzburg Deeds Office will operate with 14 staff members in the office and 1 remotely. The Pietermaritzburg Deeds Office would like to bring to the attention of the conveyancing fraternity that it will be impossible to operate at 100% output, unfortunately we will have a backlog.
3. Steps to be taken before Re opening include:
3.1. Hygienic cleaning of all working environments.
3.2. Workstations, meeting rooms, offices, passages and stairwells-including handrails.
3.3. Elevators door handles, bathrooms and high touch areas.
3.4. This will be repeated hourly.
4. Entering the building
4.1. Every person’s temperature will be taken and if found to be more than 38 Celsius will not be allowed in.
4.2. Only persons with recommended N95 facial mask, cloth mask and gloves(optional) will be allowed in.
4.3. Once inside the office every person must keep on wearing mask, washing or sanitizing hands or gloves(optional) until they leave the office.
4.4. Everyone in our building must time and again wash hands as recommended and gloves.
4.5. Everyone in our building must use the sanitizers provided or his/her private one regularly as recommended by the medical profession.
4.6. There will be books at the security entrance Every person entering will complete the required information in these books. The information will be used for tracing purposes when and if it becomes necessary. To get access after filing of the book a positive identification must be sworn to the securities to confirm the details filed in.
4.7. Every person entering the building will be required to use his/her pen when filling in the book.
5. Elevators:
5.1. Only 2 persons will be allowed into our elevators at a given time.
5.2. It is further recommended that stairs can be used to access other floors.
6. Lodgement of deeds and documents:
6.1. There will be no lodgement of deeds on Wednesday the 13th till 18th May 2020
6.2. Lodgements will be on Tuesdays and Thursday commencing 19th May 2020. (until further notice)
6.3. In keeping with social distancing, office will provide a pigeonhole next to the ground floor entrance next to the elevators where deeds will be placed from 08h30 to 10h30.
6.4. Firms will be expected to lodged deeds already linked and bounded either by a ribbon or rubber band. The Deeds office staff member will monitor these deeds for safety and non – fiddling.
6.5. Immediately at 10h30 the deeds officials will come and take these deeds to the lodgement counter. No deeds will be allowed to be brought inside the office except in the manner aforesaid.
7. Fees:
7.1. Only 1 conveyancer per firm/ limited number of Conveyancers, no clerks will be allowed into our office.
7.2. Conveyancing firms that are using E4must identify one firm on rotation to use E4 for scanning deeds. Those not using E4 will be strictly allowed to view the Deeds and leave the office immediately thereafter.
7.3. The checking of fees will still be done at the public Office/ Prep Counter with strict demarcation tapes done to enforce social distancing.
7.4. Fees will commence on the 13th May 2020.
8. Consultation:
8.1. This will be done telephonically or through e-mails.
8.2. The outcome of the consultation must be emailed to the conveyancer.
8.3. This outcome will be emailed to the Deputy Registrar of Deeds Mr SE Duma for the discussion with him when the conveyancer will be seeking a restoration/corrective maintenance.
8.4. The restoration /corrective maintenance and expedition of deeds will be allowed with strict social distancing between the Deputy in charge and the conveyancers.
9. Delivery:
9.1. Delivery of Deeds and documents will be placed at the pigeon’s holes used for lodgement immediately after lodged deeds are removed.
9.2. The conveyancer representing the firm and will get these delivered deeds from 10h30 to 12h00 daily.
10. Information:
10.1. Information centre will be closed until further notice.
10.2. The enquiries on the 3rd floor will be closed.
10.3. Only 5th Floor strong room will be opened for access by the conveyancers.
11. Execution:
11.1. Conveyancers firms must arrange 1 conveyancer per firm to execute.
11.2. Execution times will be from 09h00 to 12h00.
11.3. Execution will be done at execution room and the deeds official will take these deeds to the Registrar’s boardroom where ARD’S, Deputy Registrars and the Registrars will execute these deeds. Conveyancers must execute expeditiously and leave the office as soon as possible thereafter.
11.4. Only marked chairs must be used at the execution.
11.5. Execution will commence on the 13th MAY 2020
12.Copies
12.1 Office of the Chief Registrar of Deeds will issue the guideline and procedure pertaining to the Regulation 68 (1) applications
13.Micro Searches
13.1 Searches for documents that are still on micro , an email must be forward to Ms Busisiwe Mdunge on busisiwe.mdunge@drdlr.gov.za once the requested is received then the requested information will be digitized and be made available on Deeds web.
14.Volumes
14.1 Will still be accessed at 5TH FLOOR under strict demarcations to observe and enforce social distancing.
15. General Provisions:
- Wearing of Personal Protective equipment is always a must for everyone in our office.
- Failure to do so will result in banning non deeds officials from coming to the Deeds Office again.
- As for Deeds Officials disciplinary steps will be taken.
- No children or visitors will be allowed inside our office.
- Social distancing must always be practiced.
- Deeds Office Pietermaritzburg is currently allocated 13 staff members.
- Staff will be recalled on rotational basis according to the needs of the office at the given time.
16. Coming into operation of this circular
16.1The circular comes into operation on the 13th MAY 2020.
PICO MOSHODI
REGISTRAR OF DEEDS: PIETERMARITZBURG