About the Master of the High Court

History

A Master of the High Court is appointed for every provincial division of the High Court of South Africa.  Masters’ Offices are situated in Bloemfontein , Cape Town , Grahamstown , Kimberley , Mmabatho/Mafikeng , Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg , Pretoria , Umtata , Bisho, Thohoyandou, Johannesburg, Polokwane, Durban, and Port
Elizabeth.

The Master of the High Court is a creature of statute and various Acts regulate the duties and powers of the Master.

The most important of these are the Administration of Estates Act, 1965 (Act 66 of 1965), the Insolvency Act, 1936 (Act 24 of 1936), the Companies Act, 1973 (Act 61 of 1973), the Close Corporations Act, 1984 (Act 69 of 1984) and the Trust Property Control Act, 1988 (Act 57 of 1988).

The Rationalisation of the Administration of Estates Act, 1965, which includes the functioning of the Guardian’s Fund and the appointment of the Master, has not been yet completed. In terms of the present Act the Master’s Offices execute inter alia the following functions:

• The administration of estates of deceased and insolvent persons in accordance with the applicable statutory prescriptions.
• The protection of the interests of minors and legally incapacitated persons.
• The protection and administration of the funds of minors, contractually incapacitated and undetermined and absent heirs, which have been paid into the Guardian’s Fund.
• The supervision of the administration of companies and close corporations in accordance with the relevant statutory prescriptions.
• The determination and assessment of estate duties in terms of the Estate Duty Act, 1955 (Act 45 of 1955), by virtue of a delegation by the South African Revenue Services.
• The supervision of trusts in terms of the Trust Property Control Act, 1988.
• The safeguarding of all documentary material received by the Master in respect of estates, insolvencies, liquidations, trusts, etc.
• The processing of enquiries by executors, attorneys, beneficiaries and other interested parties.
• The appointment of impartial and capable persons as executors, trustees, curators and liquidators.

The Masters and their staff are specialists in the field of the administration of the abovementioned matters and their role in the effective and rapid settlement of those matters is essential.They have an ever-increasing scope of duties and an exacting workload.

The Masters’ staff are in daily contact with practicing attorneys, chartered accountants, insolvency practitioners, persons attached to trust companies, boards of executors, commercial banks and other financial institutions, valuators of estate goods and members of the general public.

In the general public’s view the Master is still the pater familias of widows and those incapable of managing their own affairs.

In view of the fact that people from the previously disadvantaged groups have become more active and involved in the economical and financial life of the country, the personnel in the Masters’ Offices are more and more called upon to get involved in an advisory capacity with those not previously exposed to the functions and duties of the Masters’ Offices.

The staff in the Masters’ Offices regard this contribution to the development of all very seriously.

Vision

“A dynamic, business like, commercially-viable Masters Division dedicated to the pursuit of service excellence”

Mission

“To provide efficient, cost effective and specialised services of supervision, custodianship, arbitration and information regarding Deceased and Insolvent Estates and Trusts.  To serve Estate practitioners, beneficiaries of Estates and Trusts, minors and mentally challenged persons in South Africa for the purpose of safeguarding those beneficiaries’ financial and proprietary rights.”

Core Values

• Transparency
• Accountability
• Fairness
• Speed
• Excellent customer service
• Cooperation
• Justice for all

Website https://www.justice.gov.za/master/index.html
Fax 086 544 4893
Phone 012 406 4805
Postal Private Bag X81, PRETORIA, 0001
Street 22nd Floor, SALU Building, 316 Thabo Sehume
Street, PRETORIA

Master of High Court
Martin M Mafojane, Adv
Postal Private Bag X81, PRETORIA, 0001
Street 22nd Floor, SALU Building, 316 Thabo Sehume
Street, PRETORIA
Phone 012 406 4806
Fax 086 544 4893
Email MMafojane@justice.gov.za

Chief Director
Theresia Bezuidenhout, Mrs
Postal Private Bag X81, PRETORIA, 0001
Street 22nd Floor, SALU Building, 316 Thabo
Sehume Street, PRETORIA
Phone 012 406 4807
Fax 086 629 2434
Email tbezuidenhout@justice.gov.za

Chief Director
Penelope Roberts (Acting), Ms
Postal Private Bag X81, PRETORIA, 0001
Street 22nd Floor, SALU Building, 316 Thabo
Sehume Street, PRETORIA
Phone 012 406 4840
Email PRoberts@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Khulula Baneti, Ms
Postal Private Bag X 0002, BISHO, 5605
Street 1st Floor, SITA Building, Cnr Phalo- &
Rharhabe Avenues, BISHO
Phone 040 608 6600 / 040 639 2087 / 040 639 /2079
Fax 040 635 1284
Email KBaneti@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Jan du Plessis, Mr
Postal Private Bag X20584, BLOEMFONTEIN, 9300
Street Old Southern Life Building, c/o Charlotte
Maxeke (Maitland) and Aliwal Streets,
BLOEMFONTEIN, 9301
Phone 051 411 5500
Fax 051 448 6182 / 051 447 6575
Email MasterBloemfontein@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Zureena Agulhas, Ms
Postal Private Bag X9018, CAPE TOWN, 8000
Street Dullah Omar Building, 45 Castle Street, CAPE
TOWN
Phone 021 832 3000
Fax 086 507 0631
Email MasterCapeTown@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Edric Pascoe, Mr
Postal Private Bag X54325, DURBAN, 4000
Street 2 Devonshire Place (Off Anton Lembede
Street/Smith Street), 2nd Floor, DURBAN, 4001
Phone 031 327 0600 / 031 327 0601
Fax 086 507 0758
Email MasterDurban@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Euphemia Daniels, Ms
Postal Private Bag X1010, GRAHAMSTOWN, 6140
Street 5 Bathurst Street, GRAHAMSTOWN, 6139
Phone 046 603 4000
Fax 046 622 9990
Email MasterGrahamstown@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Leonard Pule, Mr
Postal Private Bag X5, JOHANNESBURG, 2000
Street Hollard Building, 66 cnr Sauer and Marshall
Street, JOHANNESBURG
Phone 011 429 8000 / 011 429 8001 / 011 429 8002 /
011 429 8003
Fax 011 492 3531 / 011 429 8035
Email LPule@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Craig Davids, Mr
Postal Private Bag X5015, KIMBERLEY, 8300
Street Civic Centre, Sol Plaatjie Drive, KIMBERLEY
Phone 053 831 1942
Email MasterKimberley@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Edric Pascoe, Mr
Postal Private Bag X9010, PIETERMARITZBURG,
3200
Street 241 Church Street, Colonial Building situated,
PIETERMARITZBURG
Phone 033 264 7007
Fax 086 507 0758
Email MasterPietermaritzbu@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
William Sekete, Mr
Postal Private Bag X42, MMABATHO, 2735
Street Justice Chambers, 44 Shippard Street,
MAHIKENG, 2745
Phone 018 381 4122 / 018 381 8585
Fax 086 771 6198
Email WSekete@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Vacant Vacant, Vacant
Postal Private Bag X 11260, NELSPRUIT, 1200
Street 52 Acacia Crescent, West Acres, NELSPRUIT,
1200
Phone 013 101 3721
Fax 086 507 1716 / 086 515 1279 / 086 680 5795

Master of High Court
Willicah Seopa, Ms
Postal Private Bag X9670, POLOKWANE, 0700
Street Polokwane High Court Building, 4th Floor,
Block B, cnr Bodenstein and Biccard Street,
POLOKWANE, 0700
Phone 015 230 6000 / 015 230 6112
Fax 015 230 6100 / 015 230 6200
Email WSeopa@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Euphemia Daniels, Ms
Postal Private Bag X2, PORT ELIZABETH, 6000
Street 523 Govan Mbeki Avenue, cnr Crawford and
Govan Mbeki, North End, PORT ELIZABETH
Phone 041 403 5100
Fax 041 487 1148
Email AsPeter@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Mariaan Barnard, Ms
Postal Private Bag X60, PRETORIA, 0001
Street SALU Building, 316 Thabo Sehume Street,
PRETORIA
Phone 012 339 3333 / 012 339 7700 / 012 339 7807
Fax 012 326 1977
Email MasterPretoria@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Vacant Vacant, Vacant
Postal Private Bag X5015, Thohoyandou, VENDA,
0950
Street Venda Government Building Complex,
Thohoyandou, VENDA
Phone 015 962 1032
Fax 015 962 1033
Email MasterThohoyandou@justice.gov.za

Master of High Court
Simon C Jozana, Mr
Postal Private Bag X6057, MTHATHA, 5099
Street Holy Cross Building, 7 Craister Street,
MTHATHA
Phone 047 531 2120 / 047 532 3432 / 047 532 3564
Fax 047 531 0980
Email SJaxa@justice.gov.za