Roy Cokayne

CLAIMS by the legal fraternity that the Master’s Office in Pretoria is in disarray have been labelled “an exaggeration” by the Justice Department.

The problems at the office are related to its relocation to the SA Agricultural Union Building in Pretoria last year.

Law Society of the Northern Provinces president Jan van Rensburg said the problems directly affected the functioning of the courts, the deeds office and the public. They had also resulted in delays in the winding up of estates, he said.

Van Rensburg claimed access to files kept by the Master had been limited since October 31 last year and the Master had been unable to indicate when the problems would be rectified and the office would be fully operational again.

Problems included that no telephones had been connected and it was therefore impossible to reach the Master’s Office telephonically, and most of the computers had not been connected yet, making it difficult to reach the office via e-mail.

In addition, the society claimed not all of the files kept by the Master’s Office had been unpacked; no remedies were available if a file had not been unpacked or was unavailable other than visiting the offices at a later date in the hope it would then be available; and only one counter was available to assist the public and legal practitioners.

Van Rensburg said the lack of access to files could lead to instances where claims may prescribe, problems were experienced with lodgements and various other problems were encountered that directly affected the legal rights of members of the public.

The Gauteng Law Council echoed these complaints.

But Department of Justice and Constitutional Development spokesman Tlali Tlali said it was clearly stated at the meeting with the law society and council that all sections were fully operational, while staff were working on clearing the backlog caused by the relocation process. It should be overcome within two months.

“To suggest that the office is in a state of disarray is an exaggeration,” he said.

Tlali admitted the office was not as functional as it should be, but the department was “pulling all stops” to ensure this was rectified.

“One of the inconveniences” was caused by the telephone installation process at the new premises. The telephone lines were expected to be operational by the end of this week.

However, he added that other modes and methods of communication, such as e-mails and the website, were in good working order. All files had been sorted and the office was attending to those files in outstanding correspondence and to keep them up to date, he said.

“We are confident that services in all areas will be restored to expected efficiency levels soon,” Tlali said.