The Department of Justice and Correctional Services has launched an online system which aims to streamline access to Masters’ offices, including the registration of deceased estates.

The system has been rolled out to the Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria and Thohoyandou Masters’ offices. It will be gradually rolled out to other parts of the country.

The Department says several non-governmental institutions partnered with it in piloting the on-line system, including the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa (FISA) and the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA).

Several advantages of the Masters’ Deceased Estate Online Registration System have been listed by the Department, they include:

• Enhanced Access to Justice: The online deceased estates system aims to bring services closer and speedily to clients across the country thereby enhancing access to justice.
• Modernisation of the Department: The Online Deceased Estate Registration system is part of the Department’s strategy to introduce online service channels to improve access to justice and improve the efficiency with which services are provided.
• Greater Convenience for the public: The objective of the online system is to enable South Africans to transact with the Masters’ offices from anywhere, anytime and in a cost-effective manner with quicker turn-around times.
• Public will save on travel costs: There will be no need for people to travel long distances to access Masters Services. The online system will allow members of the public to register deceased estates either in the comfort of their homes, offices or anywhere in the world without having to visit a Masters office (except with the lodgement of original wills).
• Improved Customer Satisfaction: The Department anticipates that the implementation of the online system will significantly reduce the volume of complaints received by Masters Offices.
• Reduction of Queues: It is expected that the online system will significantly cut the long queues at Masters Offices as there will be no need for customers to physically visit Masters’ offices and service points.
• Quicker Registration process: Online registrations will speed up the registration process and ensure quicker availability of the details/particulars of the beneficiaries and trustees.
• Electronic Booking of appointments: Where a client needs to physically visit a Masters Office, they will choose a suitable date and time slot for their appointment. The system will display the available slots, allowing them to pick one that aligns with their schedule. Clients will also be able to receive status updates of their applications via SMS or email depending on their chosen method of communication.
• Rollout of Service Kiosks: Self-service and staff assisted kiosks will be set up at all Masters Offices to enable clients to report estates online with or without the assistance of legally trained personnel. These will be used by those who do not have access to technologies such as smart phones, computers or data. Staff assisted kiosks will also enable the elderly and any members of the public who may not be tech savvy to receive service from the Masters.

You can access the new system by clicking HERE.