The Registrar of Deeds formed part of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The Office's function was to maintain a public register of land, preserve all the records and provide information to the public. The duties of the Office were derived from the Deeds Registrar Act (No. 47 of 1937). The Registrar of Deeds used a land registration system known as Casadral, which entailed the identification of land parcels and the registration of ownership.