Guest: Ms Hester Venter , Deputy Master of the North Gauteng

Across South Africa, offices of the master of the high court are buckling, and attorneys who must deal with them daily are at their wits’ end. Lawyers are increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with the deepening dysfunctionality of the offices of the Master of the High Court. They highlight that the Master’s Office is causing significant delays, lasting months or even years, for crucial legal administrative procedures that should ideally be completed within weeks. The Master’s Office is responsible for overseeing numerous legal processes, including the winding up of estates of the deceased, handling bankruptcy and liquidation matters, and managing hundreds of millions of rands for the Guardian’s Fund. We find out more on the state of the Masters cause, and the offices plans to address this administrative nightmare.