The DA has demanded that the Land Bank fully cooperate with the Information Regulator and provide a “lawful response” to an outstanding Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request.

This call comes after the Information Regulator confirmed it will launch a pre-investigation into a complaint lodged by DA Member of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Dr Igor Scheurkogel.

The complaint was triggered by the Land Bank’s failure to respond to an application submitted under Section 18(1) of PAIA, or to notify the party of any extension.

Scheurkogel emphasised that as a State-owned institution entrusted with supporting South Africa's vital agricultural sector, the Land Bank has a clear responsibility to answer lawful requests for information.

"Farmers and South Africans deserve transparency, and Land Bank must account," Scheurkogel stated, noting that any refusal to disclose public records must be properly justified under the law.

According to Scheurkogel, the DA’s request is straightforward but critical for public oversight.

The party is seeking Land Bank’s financial statements between 2012 and 2026, as well as records identifying approved attorneys, liquidators, and auction houses involved in the Bank's debt-recovery and liquidation processes, including their legal authority to act.

The party also wants approved cession agreements, sale-of-book-debt agreements, and service-level agreements (SLAs) between the Land Bank and third-party agricultural intermediaries or cooperatives, alongside relevant National Treasury approvals.

DA intends to use these records to examine potential conflicts of interest and overlapping roles within liquidation proceedings.

“We want to establish whether the arrangements comply with applicable legal requirements, including section 55 of the Insolvency Act and clause 58.8 of the Legal Practice Council’s Code of Conduct,” Scheurkogel explained.

“We also want to know whether the applicable procurement requirements were followed, including section 217 of the Constitution where agreements involve contracting for goods or services.”

The oversight push aims to reveal exactly how much the Land Bank has recovered through liquidations, the total cost of these processes, who has benefited from the appointments, and how the proceeds have been accounted for.

The demand for parliamentary scrutiny has taken on a new sense of urgency following the recent suspension of new applications under the Blended Finance Scheme, which was halted because grant resources were insufficient to meet demand.

“Land Bank plays a pivotal role in protecting food security, supporting farmers, and advancing agricultural transformation,” said Scheurkogel.

“Fulfilling that mandate requires sound financial management, transparent decision-making, and accountability for every rand spent.”