Chaotic backlog at Masters Offices

Legal fraternity up in arms over ‘chaotic’ backlogat Master’s Ofxces

SA’s legal practitioners, who are already disgruntled with allegedcorruption at the Master’s Ofxces , say the disarray in winding updeceased estates — worsened by Covid-19 deaths — risks taking themout of the R30bn sector.

The 15 Master’s Ofxces in the country, one for each division of thehigh court, deliver crucial services to the public in the administrationof deceased estates and liquidations, as well as the registration andsupervision of trusts, among others.

However, the functioning of the ofxces has been a contentious issuethat has raised concerns over the huge backlogs they are faced with.The pandemic has worsened the situation as Covid-19 deaths haveadded to the bottleneck of deceased estates.