The Johannesburg Master\u2019s Office is grappling with backlogs, delays, inefficiencies and perceptions of corruption, according to sources close to the institution. But the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ) says it is addressing these issues.<\/p>\n
Unreasonably long delays at the Master\u2019s Office have life-changing repercussions for people. Delays in appointing an executor to oversee a deceased estate, lodge or amend a trust deed, or finalise an insolvency, leave people\u2019s lives in limbo.<\/p>\n
Read: Johannesburg and Pretoria Masters\u2019 offices still without permanent heads<\/p>\n
Several lawyers told GroundUp that the Master\u2019s failure to issue a letter of executorship, for instance, can result in financial losses for the beneficiaries.<\/p>\n
Failure to issue an insurance bond or executor bond, which protects beneficiaries from potential negligence, fraud or mismanagement of estate assets by the appointed executor, can also cause devastating financial loss.<\/p>\n
\nSources who deal with the Johannesburg Master\u2019s Office said it can take weeks, and in some cases months, to obtain a letter of executorship from the office.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Delays in appointing insolvency practitioners can harm distressed businesses, creditors, workers and local communities.<\/p>\n
One lawyer told GroundUp that the Master\u2019s failures prevent them from serving their clients efficiently and it harms their reputation as a legal firm. \u201cThe Master\u2019s inefficiency prejudices legal practitioners [in the eyes of their clients].\u201d<\/p>\n
Delays<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
In early January 2026, Johannesburg law firm Pagel Schulenburg Attorneys posted on its website a note stating that current backlogs at the larger Masters\u2019 offices (Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape?Town) were in the area of deceased estates.<\/p>\n
Read: Acting Chief Master speaks out about challenges facing the Master\u2019s Offices<\/p>\n
DoJ director of media research and liaison Samuel Modipane, replying to GroundUp, said the Johannesburg office is the country\u2019s highest-volume jurisdiction and it is meeting its key performance targets, including the majority issuance of Letters of Executorship within the prescribed 15 working days for compliant applications.<\/p>\n
Corruption<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
Most of our sources agreed to share their views only if granted anonymity, as they feared victimisation.<\/p>\n
There is a perception of corruption among those who interact with the Master\u2019s Office, according to people who spoke to GroundUp<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n
\nNotices posted at the offices, stating that services are free and that no one may charge a member of the public for assistance, appear to seek to address this perception.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
But GroundUp is aware that ongoing backlogs at the Master\u2019s Office have fostered a well-known \u201crunner\u201d system, in which clients pay intermediaries for faster service.<\/p>\n
These runner services appear to be a significant cash cow for those involved. They also have key connections within the Master\u2019s Office staff to help deliver these services, so GroundUp was told.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
The winding up of estates in SA is in shambles [Dec 2024]<\/div>\nEfforts to streamline the registration of deceased estates have little impact [Dec 2024]<\/div>\nGroundUp found runner services offering assistance at the Johannesburg Master\u2019s Office through online ads, websites and social media groups.<\/p>\n
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CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
An attorney said of the Johannesburg Master\u2019s Office that \u201cthere is this perception that if you don\u2019t pay the cooldrink money, your things are not going to get done\u201d.<\/p>\n
In response, the DoJ said it maintains a zero-tolerance approach to corruption. \u201cWhere wrongdoing is identified, decisive disciplinary action is taken,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
Lack of capacity<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
The Johannesburg Master\u2019s Office, one of the biggest in the country, has 129 staff members, according to the department.<\/p>\n
Although some Master\u2019s Office processes are digitalised, officials still rely heavily on paper. Sources claim there is poor document management. One person told us that in one case, a vital document was lost.<\/p>\n
\nThe same attorney said: \u201cYou find a lot of files. They just put one file on top of another. There is poor filing of documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
They told GroundUp \u201cfiles are all over the place\u201d, piling up even in the corridors.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
Private sector steps in amid \u2018despicable conditions\u2019 at Johannesburg Master\u2019s Office [Jul 2025]<\/div>\nMaster\u2019s offices left rudderless due to lack of \u2026 masters [Apr 2025]<\/div>\nThe DoJ said that while reporting and registration for estates and trusts is fully digitalised, the continued use of original appointment letters is largely driven by the current requirements of financial institutions and other third parties.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the interim, hybrid processes are continuously refined to ensure uninterrupted service delivery while the transition to a fully modernised environment progresses,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
Several attorneys said frequent internet and computer system downtime worsens problems at the already stretched office.<\/p>\n
Katherine Gascoigne, head of the Master\u2019s Office portfolio at the Johannesburg Attorneys\u2019 Association (JAA)<\/span><\/span>, said: \u201cThe JAA has a good relationship with the Johannesburg Master, and that is why we are able to resolve problems. However, there are problems that we cannot resolve, like infrastructure, human resources, network issues, as well as understaffing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She noted that the Master\u2019s Office has a significant impact on the South African economy, which is why it deserves more resources and staff to operate optimally.<\/p>\n
\nAnother source accused the government of showing minimal interest in addressing the challenges at the office.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cYou need proper leadership. There is no regard for the whole division of the Master\u2019s branch,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n
The Master\u2019s Office, located on Marshall Street in central Johannesburg, currently has no emergency backup power. When a substation exploded last year, the office was left without power, according to Eyewitness News, forcing an extended closure.<\/p>\n
The DoJ told GroundUp that the landlord has installed a generator, but it is not yet operational.<\/p>\n
Several other Master\u2019s Offices also lack backup power.<\/p>\n
Digital platforms<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
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The Master has set up online platforms for managing trusts and deceased estates. The deceased estate platform was launched in October 2023, and the trust platform was launched in April 2025.<\/p>\n
Yet, attorneys we spoke to describe these online portals as glitch-prone and frequently down, prompting some to continue submitting paper forms.<\/p>\n
Law firm Norton Rose Fulbright stated online: \u201cIt is a welcome step forward in modernising an institution long plagued by inefficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the firm reported in August last year on its Financial Institutions Legal Snapshot website, that early user feedback on the trust platform complained about system glitches, upload issues and downtime during peak periods.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout robust IT support and infrastructure, these teething problems could become serious impediments,\u201d the law firm wrote.<\/p>\n
Norton Rose Fulbright noted significant potential to improve trust administration if the Master effectively implemented and supported its trust platform.<\/p>\n
\nA source told GroundUp that the Master\u2019s deceased estate online system is regularly offline, partly because it relies on Home Affairs data.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In response, the DoJ said the integration with the Department of Home Affairs for death verification remains a necessary legal safeguard. \u201cActive inter-departmental collaboration is underway to improve system stability and uptime.\u201d<\/p>\n
It added that digital reporting for deceased estates and trusts had significantly reduced the need for physical visits.<\/p>\n
It said work is underway to modernise, improve connectivity, enhance cybersecurity and strengthen data quality. \u201cThe current reforms \u2026 are already yielding tangible improvements in access, turnaround times and accountability,\u201d the department added.<\/p>\n
\nIn addition, the DoJ said a study of all Master\u2019s Offices is underway to ensure proper resourcing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
It said there are measurable performance indicators and these are subject to regular reporting to parliament through the Budgetary Review and Recommendation process.<\/p>\n
Calls unanswered<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
Sources said an unresponsive switchboard at the Johannesburg Master\u2019s Office has been a long-standing issue.<\/p>\n
GroundUp repeatedly called the official switchboard lines, but none of our calls were answered. When the calls reached voicemail, there was no option to leave a message.<\/p>\n
By contrast, when GroundUp phoned the smaller Master\u2019s Office in Bloemfontein, the call was answered promptly.<\/p>\n
The DoJ noted that a full directory with direct contact numbers for managers and key officials is published on its website.<\/p>\n
\nAnother complaint is that it is hard to reach the Master\u2019s Office officials directly by telephone.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cPeople in their offices are likely to be busy with people in front of them, and they will simply let the phone ring,\u201d a source said.<\/p>\n
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The DoJ said it was finalising a national complaints management framework to resolve concerns raised by the public quickly and effectively.<\/p>\n
Unnecessary costs<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
Inefficiencies force people to return repeatedly to the Master\u2019s Office, increasing costs and delaying legal matters, a source said.<\/p>\n
A general complaint GroundUp heard about Master\u2019s offices is that lawyers have had to file mandamus applications to compel the Master to decide matters due to the Master\u2019s inaction.<\/p>\n
Read:
Service delivery failures at masters\u2019 offices impact the economy [Sep 2022]
Lawyers fed up with shambolic master\u2019s offices [Oct 2023]
DoJ\u2019s rescue plan for the Master\u2019s Office [Nov 2023]<\/p>\nA legal expert, who wished to remain anonymous, said it is hard to determine how many of these mandamus applications there have been.<\/p>\n
\nAnother general complaint about the Master\u2019s Office is that each branch tends to have its own way of doing things. \u201cThere should be uniformity,\u201d an industry source said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In response, the DoJ said it was finalising uniform masters\u2019 standard operating procedures to ensure consistent processes across the country, while still allowing Masters to exercise the discretion provided for in legislation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll offices operate under binding Chief Master\u2019s directives and the same statutory framework,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n
Several attorneys said that laws governing some functions of the Master\u2019s Office are outdated, making compliance difficult. For example, the Administration of Estates Act, which governs deceased estates, dates back to 1965, while the Insolvency Act, which governs insolvency matters, is about 90 years old, enacted in 1936.<\/p>\n
Antiquated elements of the Insolvency Act include requirements for the use of post and cheques.<\/p>\n
Not all bad<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
GroundUp occasionally heard positive reports. One source said they encountered no issues and were impressed with the service.<\/p>\n
Another noted significant improvement since the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that although substantial backlogs had persisted in its aftermath, the current leadership at the Johannesburg Master played a key role in the office\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n
Some sources reported positive experiences with the Master\u2019s online portals and have welcomed digitalisation.<\/p>\n
The DoJ also said major system reforms are in development or implementation.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published\u00a0here.<\/p>\n
Follow Moneyweb\u2019s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n