Acting Chief Master of the High Court of South Africa, Theresia Bezuidenhout, said her office often witness many family disputes when there is no Will left behind by the deceased. She was speaking at an information session on Wills, hosted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in Johannesburg on 17 September during Wills week.

By Kgomotso Ramotsho

The Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) held its annual National Wills Week from 17 to 21 September. Wills Week affords South Africans the opportunity to have an attorney draft a Will for them free of charge.

In support of National Wills Week, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD) hosted community information sessions in various communities to educate the public on the importance of drafting a Will. One of these communities was, Daveyton in Johannesburg.

Kempton Park Cluster Acting Court Manager, Azwindini Nemukula, said the DOJ&CD identified Daveyton as one of the communities in need of an information session about Wills because of the challenges faced within the community. Mr Nemukula said there are many unlawful evictions taking place in Daveyton. He added that the statistics collected from the Daveyton Magistrate’s Court revealed that, from April 2017 to March 2018 the Daveyton Magistrate’s Court had a total of 184 cases of family house disputes and 1 528 cases of deceased estate disputes.

At the information session hosted by the DOJ&CD. The community of Daveyton was taught about the importance on having a Will and given scenarios of what might happen if no Will is left behind. Legal practitioners from Legal Aid South Africa also assisted community members with drafting Wills.

Acting Chief Master of the High Court of South Africa, Theresia Bezuidenhout, said the purpose of the DOJ&CD being involved in the National Wills Week was to have the opportunity to educate the public about the importance of drafting a Will. She added that the public needed to know about the pros and cons of having a Will. She pointed out that at the Johannesburg Masters Office and service points of estate clerks, they often witness many family disputes, especially if there is a whole family living in one house and a family member passes away and there is no Will left behind.

Kgomotso Ramotsho Cert Journ (Boston) Cert Photography (Vega) is the news reporter at De Rebus.

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2018 (Nov) DR 15.