Lawyers wary of Master's Office improvement claims
The Department of Justice has acknowledged major challenges at the Mbombela Master’s Office following a GroundUp report last week that the office has massive backlogs and staff shortages.
The department said that, despite the challenges, management at the Mbombela Master’s Office had implemented new operational strategies to reduce backlogs and improve service delivery.
‘These measures include internal process adjustments and improved cash flow management. The office has begun receiving positive feedback from certain stakeholders, which indicates that these interventions are yielding gradual improvements,’ the department wrote.
It added: ‘These backlogs have accumulated over time and are compounded by resource constraints and staffing pressures.’
Annelien de Kock, chairperson of the Mbombela Attorneys Association, said the department's response was the ‘same story that they had been spinning for the past four years’.
‘They have grown accustomed to saying that the office does not have the staff and resources. There is no plan for how they will change it. Nothing.’
De Kock added: ‘If staff and resources are a problem, why doesn’t the department accept the attorneys’ invitation to provide pro bono services to assist them?
‘They say there is a problem, and they agree there is a problem. That is all they are saying. They are offering an excuse – that is it. There is no plan.’
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
