The administration of estates have virtually ground to a halt due to inefficiencies at the Master’s offices and the failure of the Government Printing Works to publish a legal notices gazette for four weeks, reports Rapport.

Louis van Vuuren, chief executive of the Fiduciary Institute of SA (Fisa), says about 70% of the backlogs are at the Master’s offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.

‘Service delivery at Master’s offices has been under pressure for years, but the Covid-19 regulations have aggravated the problem. Our members complain that it is virtually impossible to get access to some offices. E-mails and phone calls are not answered. Some personnel insist on corresponding through normal post and on original hard copy documents when it is not a legal requirement,’ Van Vuuren said.

Executors also cannot advertise estates as the legal notices gazette has not been published since 29 January.

Sihle Ngubane, of the Government Printing Works, issued a notice last week noting ‘technical problems’.

‘We are still not able to publish and cannot say on which date publication will resume,’ the notice read.

Clive Hendricks, of the Cape Town Attorneys Association, says they recently met with the Master in Cape Town and there has since been an improvement in backlogs at that office.

Full report in Rapport (subscription needed)