Digital Cadastres Facilitating Land Information Management

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South African Journal of Geomatics, Vol. 3, No. 1, January 2014 
64
Digital Cadastres Facilitating Land Information Management 
Edward Kurwakumire 
Department of Geomatics, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa, 
[e-mail] 
 
Abstract 
A nation’s natural resources form the basis of economic growth in most developing nations. Raw 
materials required for the manufacturing industry which drives the economy are extracted from the 
land resource. This renders good governance of land crucial in any country as it is also the basis of 
sustainable development. However, to achieve betterment in managing land, there is need for 
accurate, reliable and up to date information about land. Such proper land management policies 
however remain a challenge to most governments in African nations. Problems with land 
information differ case by case, but among the most common are the facts that land information is 
usually not coordinated or it is inadequate. In some cases, land information is available but largely 
inaccessible. The objective of this paper is to bring out the role of a digital cadastre towards 
improved land management and land administration.  The paper discusses modernization of 
cadastral systems in municipalities through technological reforms as a facet to improved land 
governance and at the same time improving access to cadastral information which is public 
information. 
1. Introduction 
Cadastral systems have evolved from the allocation of land as grazing land, arable land as well 
as hunting grounds and often at village level while at the same time, land was acquired and lost 
through wars. Thus each family possessed arable land with access to common pastures and this 
sufficed with the population then. This maps the land tenure situation before Zimbabwe was 
colonised in the 1890s. This description is characteristic of traditional or customary tenure systems 
according to the Communal Land Act of 1982 and (Cole, 1981; Ollennu, 1962; Rukuni, 1994; 
Torhonen and Goodwin 1998; Communal land Act of 1982). However, the ever-growing world 
population and increasing pressure on both natural and manmade resources renders critical the need 
for land information as a basis for managing and exploiting the land resources in a sustainable 
manner. This has brought about a transition from communal or customary law based land tenure 
systems to statutory law based systems such as freehold. However both systems still co-exist in 
most developing nations such as Namibia, Tanzania, Ghana and Botswana. Zimbabwe utilises the 
communal tenure system administered through the communal land act and the freehold system 
based on the Roman Dutch Law that is also utilised in South Africa. Without adequate up-to-date 
land information it becomes difficult to implement planning, development and exploitation projects 
of such resources sustainably for the betterment of communities. Land is undoubtedly one of the 
most valuable resources of any nation (Kurwakumire, 2007) and land information management 

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South African Journal of Geomatics, Vol. 3, No. 1, January 2014 
65
forms an integral part of urban development. The value, nature and social characteristics of land and 
the community is also described in (Alexander, 2007). 
Land is at the core of a nation’s economy and as such it is essential to device methods for 
improving its management. In this respect, the implementation of proper management tools and 
policies with respect to land results in efficient land transactions and land markets. However, this is 
only possible if the rights pertaining to different land units are well defined and properly 
documented. The availability of land information improves land valuation, taxation and zoning 
since all these operations are based on the land unit (Larsson, 1996). It is also important for local 
planning authorities such as municipalities to be able to identify all land units within their 
jurisdictions and the rights that attach to them. This information is essential for a more informed 
zoning process and enhanced spatial planning. Information is the basic resource for any decision 
making to be done and as such it is the function of a land information system (LIS) to support land 
management. A land information system needs to be coupled with accurate and complete 
information if sound decisions are to be made. Dale and McLaughlin (1990) define land 
management ‘as the process whereby land resources are put to good effect’. This essentially leads 
to the concept of the cadastre, which is a tool for managing information about land. It is usually an 
up-to-date public register containing different aspects relating to the land unit such as form of 
tenure, use and value. Zimbabwe has seen a significant increase in land development projects and 
land transactions since the end of the hyperinflation period in 2010. The cadastre needs to be secure 
while offering protection to land right orders. This calls for a digital cadastre that embraces current 
information and technology, database technology, digital storage media and local and remote access 
points such as internet portals. The term digital cadastre is used synonymously with automated 
cadastral or land information systems.