Six months on, Joburg Master’s office no better

The entrance to the Johannesburg Master’s Office in Marshall Street. Photos: Seth Thorne

• Complaints about the Johannesburg Master’s persist, six months after GroundUp last reported on problems at the office.
• Lawyers say the office is a “paper fortress” and that new digital systems are often offline.
• Officials are alleged to solicit bribes from lawyers trying to access essential documents.

Six months after GroundUp last reported on backlogs, delays, inefficiency and corruption at the Johannesburg Master’s Office, sources say they see no improvement.

The office in Marshall Street has not had a permanent master since 2024.

Delays in appointing an executor, lodging or amending a trust deed, or finalising an insolvency can leave people’s lives in limbo.”

For instance, without a letter of executorship, which can take months, beneficiaries cannot access funds or insurance bonds. Delays may lead to devastating financial losses.

Lawyers spoke about applying for court orders to compel the Master to simply make a decision, which add legal costs for families who are already grieving.

In the business sector, delays in appointing insolvency practitioners harm creditors, workers and local communities.

Soul destroying

We spoke to six lawyers who regularly deal with the office. They preferred not to be named so that the service they receive at the master’s office is not compromised.

One attorney said the experience “crushes your soul”, as practitioners and the public are often pushed from pillar to post.

A Master’s Office official, who asked not to be named, said that there is a “growing backlog that we are struggling to catch up on as new matters are logged”.

Paper fortress

Despite efforts to digitise, the Johannesburg Master’s Office remains a “paper fortress”, lawyers say. When we visited the office last week, we saw files piled floor-to-ceiling, with documents overflowing into corridors.

One attorney told GroundUp that it should take no more than a couple of weeks to hear back after lodging an estate, but he was once left waiting for more than a year. He searched through towers of paper taller than himself for a document, without any help. The document was never found.

The digital systems meant to reduce paperwork have offered some relief but are often offline, lawyers we spoke to said. Many practitioners continue to submit paper forms because the online system is so unreliable.

Because of the inefficiency, clients and legal professionals allegedly pay intermediaries called “runners” who have connections inside the office.

“It is an open secret that cash can allow you to jump the queue,” said an attorney. “It is very common for someone to try and solicit a bribe, especially when you look like your matter is urgent.”

Another lawyer said officials would solicit a bribe by asking, “What will you do for me so that I can get it done for you?”

He said many legal professionals and members of the public pay the bribe, pushing those waiting for their matter to be resolved even further back.

The building is plastered with signs stating that “Master’s services are free”, yet sources say bribes are still solicited.

Piles of documents on the floor are a common sight at the Johannesburg Master’s office.

Navigating the building is a challenge. There are almost no signs, and directory boards are inaccurate. Practitioners said that they must often go door-to-door through the corridors to find the correct official, as many doors lack nameplates.

Sources praised the helpfulness of the security guards. The guards were helpful to us too.

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ) had not responded to our questions at the time of publication. It previously told GroundUp that the Johannesburg Master’s Office is meeting its key performance targets, including issuing the majority of letters of executorship within the prescribed 15 working days for compliant applications.

In a response to a question in Parliament, justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said 82% of letters of executorship are issued within 15 working days of receipt of all required documents (when the application is complete). This does not take into account delays at the Master’s Office in completing the application, including queries, resubmissions, incomplete files, and systems being offline.

The response also said that Johannesburg has the second-highest number of vacancies of all Masters’ offices, with 11 vacant posts. Pretoria has 20.

The department asserted that it has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and takes disciplinary action when wrongdoing is identified.

While acknowledging that the office still relies on hybrid paper-and-digital processes, the DOJ claimed that its ongoing reforms are yielding “tangible improvements” in access and accountability.

The department stated that it is collaborating with Home Affairs to improve the stability of its online platforms.

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