Thembela Gazi is a Director: Cadastral Information within the Office of the Surveyor General: Eastern Cape of the National Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform. He as been a public servant for the past 20 years and has gained experience in the cadastral environment which is a key cog of the formal land development process in South Africa. Together with land planning and land registration, the land (cadastral) surveying field form the pillars of the system that ensure security of tenure underpinned by various legislations and policies in South Africa. He is acutely aware that the system he is part of excludes millions of South Africans who occupy, use and own land under various forms of land tenure. He is also aware of the many land governance challenges that are prevailing in these areas. Throughout his various academic studies his research has focused on finding pathways to integrate these dichotomised land governance systems so that the land rights of citizens residing in customary and informal areas enjoy equal legal status and recognition as those in the formal cadastre. His most recent research proposed a formalisation framework that can assist in documenting all land governance practices in the communal areas. This was in fulfilment of his Masters Degree in Public Administration with the University of Johannesburg in 2017.