What is needed to draft your Will?

• Name and ID number of the executor of your estate
• Name and ID number of your spouse
• How you are married? (IN Community of Property; OUT of Community of Property with the accrual system or OUT of Community of Property without the accrual system)
• Copy of marriage certificate
• If you are divorced – a copy of your decree of divorce / settlement.
• Full names and ID number of all the children and other persons you want to benefit from your Will
• In the case of minor children (children younger than 18 years old: Names and ID numbers of the guardians of the minor children
• Details of all assets, liabilities and insurance policies etc.

When we die, all our possessions (house, money, pension, policies, etc.) and debts form part of our deceased estate. You can decide what you want to happen to your property after your death. This is done by making a Will.

Reporting a Deceased Estate

When can you report?
When Thabo dies you need to report his death to the Master of the High Court within 14 days (two weeks) after his death.

Who can report?
Anyone who has any of Thabo’s property or his Will.

This can be done for instance by:

• Magdaleen (Spouse =marriage partner, husband, wife )
• Sipho or Eric (any other close family member)
• Thabo can also choose a bank, trust, attorney or company to do it

Where can you report?
At the Master of the High Court (if Thabo’s deceased estate is more than R 250 000)
OR
At the Estates Office in the Magistrate’s Court (if Thabo’s estate is less than R250 000) in the area where Thabo lived for 12 months before he died

What happens after you have reported?
The Master of the High Court can:

• Issue a letter of executorship if the value of Thabo’s deceased estate is more than R 250 000
• Issue a letter of authority if the value of Thabo’s deceased estate is less than R250 000

Who can appoint a Guardian?

The Master has no jurisdiction to appoint a guardian or custodian over a minor.
Only the High Court can appoint a person, other than the natural guardian of a minor, as the legal guardian of a minor.
Only the High Court can deprive a natural guardian of guardianship over his or her minor.
As far as custody of a minor is concerned, the Child Care Act, 74 of 1983, provides that the Commissioner for Child Welfare for the district in which the minor is resident, and who is a designated Magistrate, may appoint a custodian over a minor, if after an enquiry, it is found that the minor is a child in need of care.
Section 14 of the Child Care Act sets out the circumstances in terms of which a minor is deemed to be in need of care, and includes the situation where a child has no parent or guardian or a child whose parent or guardian cannot be traced.

The custodian which the Commissioner of Child Welfare appoints, is the person who is responsible for the day to day care of the minor. The custodian does however not have the right to administer the assets of the minor.
FAQ’s on Guardian’s Fund
The Guardian’s Fund falls under the administration of the Master of the High Court.
It is a fund created to hold and administer funds which are paid to the Master on behalf of various persons known or unknown, for example, minors, persons incapable of managing their own affairs, unborn heirs, missing or absent persons or persons having an interest in the moneys of a usufructuary, fiduciary or fidei commissary nature.
Each Master has its own Guardian’s Fund.
The purpose of the Guardian’s Fund is to protect the funds of minors, persons lacking legal competence and capacity, known or unknown, absent as well as untraceable heirs.
It is important to note that money which remains unclaimed in the Guardian’s Fund for a period of 30 years as from the date, upon which the person became entitled to claim it, is forfeited to the state.

1. What happens with the moneys when deposited in the Guardian’s Fund?

When the Master receives or accepts any money he/she must open an account in the books of the Guardian’s Fund in the name of the person to whom the money belongs or the estate of which that money forms part.
If it is not known to whom such money belongs, the account may be opened in the name of the person from whom the money is derived, as the estate from which the money has been received, or the estate from which the money is derived, as the case may be. money in the Guardian’s Fund is invested with the Public Investment Commission and audited annually.

2. What is the position in respect of the payment of interest?

Interest is payable on amounts paid into the Guardian’s Fund on behalf of any minor, persons incapable of managing their own affairs, unborn heirs and persons having an interest in the moneys of a usufructuary, fiduciary or fideicommissiary nature.
The interest is calculated on a monthly basis at a rate per annum determined from time to time by the Minister of Finance. The interest is compounded monthly.
Interest is paid for a period from a month after receipt up to five years after it has become claimable, unless it is legally claimed before such expiration.

3. Can I claim any maintenance from the guardian’s fund and if, how?

An applicant can claim maintenance/allowance from the Guardian’s Fund.
The Master may pay from interest, as well as up to R250 000 from the invested capital for maintenance, like school and university fees, clothes, medical fees, boarding and lodging and any other needs that can be fully motivated.
Maintenance can be claimed by the guardian/ tutor/curator/person looking after the person of the account holder by way of an application on form J341, supported by quotations and accounts.
Payments can be made directly to the service provider, like schools, universities and bookshops.

4. When can an account holder claim the invested money and how?

Minors
A minor can claim the invested money, as well as the accrued interest on reaching the age of majority (on his/her eighteenth birthday, marriage or declaration of majority by the High Court).
However, a Testator/Testatrix can stipulate another age when a beneficiary is entitled to the invested capital in their Will. Money can be claimed by the beneficiary when entitled by way of an application on form J251, supported by a certified copy of the account holder’s identity document/passport/ marriage certificate/order of court and verification of fingerprints of applicant.
Usufructuaries / Fidei commissaries
In the case of usufructuaries/fidei commissaries, those entitled to the interest can claim the accrued interest on a monthly basisby way of a written application (J341) giving full particulars of the instrument, which created the usufructuary/fidei commissary interest.

The owner can claim the invested capital when entitled thereto (usually after the death of the usufructuary/fidei commissary) by way of an application on form J251, supported by a certified copy of the death certificate and beneficiaries identity document/passport, banking details and verification of fingerprints of applicant.

Untraced or undetermined beneficiaries
In the case of untraced or undetermined beneficiaries, money can be claimed by the beneficiary when the account comes to his/her attention. The application must be made on form J251, supported by a certified copy of the account holder’s identity document/passport and verification of fingerprints of applicant.

(The latter can be done at any Master’s Office as well as various Magistrate Courts).

5. How do payments take place?

Money/interest/maintenance is paid by EFT deposit in the payee’s banking account.

6. What happens with the money if not claimed in time?

After the lapse of a period of 30 years after the money has become claimable, the money is forfeited to the state. Every year during September the Master advertises accounts that have been unclaimed in the Government Gazette.

7. How will I know that I am entitled to money in the guardian’s fund?

The Master advertises in the Government Gazette every year during September all accounts that have become claimable. Each account is advertised three times.

8. What is the administration costs for account holders?

The Master administers all funds in the Guardian’s Fund free of charge and no administration cost is paid by account holders.
The only commission that the Master claims – and pays over to the Receiver of Revenue – is a 5% commission on dividends paid to the Guardian’s Fund by trustees and liquidators on behalf of missing creditors in insolvent estates.

9. Tracing agents

A practise whereby persons search the registers of unclaimed monies, seek out the persons entitled thereto and obtain cession of their rights is prohibited by a direction of the Minister of Trade and Industry in terms of the Harmful Business Practice Act 71 of 1988.
Notice 69 of 1965 (Government Gazette 16193 of 27 January 1995) declaring unlawful any agreement whereby a person cedes to any person charges, sets off against any debt or alienates in any other manner, his right or title to any claim against the Guardian’s Fund.
Any person is prohibited for instituting a claim in any Court of law based on such an unlawful agreement. Therefore, if money is claimed on behalf of a person / institution by a trading agent the cheque must still be made payable to the person / institution reflected in our records.
No tracers are allowed to collect cheques on behalf of beneficiaries.
No posting of cheques will be done.

10. Where do I claim these monies?

Currently the Guardian’s Fund is being administrated by six (6) Master’s Offices – Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Pietermaritzburg and Grahamstown, however, you can lodge your completed application forms at:

The relevant Master’s Office administrating the funds OR
At any of the MOVIT sites indicated below.

MOVIT Sites where fingerprints can be verified and applications can be lodged

EASTERN CAPE

Master: Bisho
1st Floor, SITA Building, Cnr. Phalo and Rharhabe Avenues, BISHO, 5605
Master: Grahamstown
Bathurst Street, GRAHAMSTOWN, 6139
Guardian’s Fund Office, Tel :046 663 4004 – 5
Master: Grahamstown
Holy Cross Building, 7 Craister Street, MTHATHA, 5099
Master: Port Elizabeth
523 Govan Mbeki Avenue, PORT ELIZABETH, 6056
Magistrate’s Court: Butterworth
52 Blyth Street, BUTTERWORTH, 4960
Magistrate’s Court: East London
Nr 4 Buffalo Street, EAST LONDON, 5200
Magistrate’s Court: Mount Ayliff
67 Church Street, MOUNT AYLIFF, 4735

FREE STATE

Master: Bloemfontein
Southern Life Building, C/o Charlotte Maxeke and Aliwal Streets, BLOEMFONTEIN, 9301
Guardian’s Fund Office, Tel : 051 411 500
Magistrate’s Court: Phuthaditjhaba
C/o Motlaung and Setai Streets, Setsing Complex,WITSIESHOEK, 9870
Magistrate’s Court: Welkom
C/o Heeren and Buiten Streets, WELKOM, 9460

GAUTENG

Master: Pretoria
Salu Building, C/o Thabo Sehume and Francis Baard Streets, PRETORIA, 0001
Magistrate’s Court: Atteridgeville
1 Hlahla Street, ATTERIDGEVILLE, 0008
Magistrate’s Court: Palm Ridge
C/o K 146 Road and Palm Ridge Road, Palm Ridge, ALBERTON

KWAZULU-NATAL

Master: Durban
2 Devonshire Place, 2nd Floor, DURBAN, 4001
Guardian’s Fund Office, Tel : 031 306 0123

Master: Pietermaritzburg
241 Church Street, Colonial Building, PIETERMARITZBURG, 3201
Guardian’s Fund Office, Tel : 033 246 7055/ 7055 / 7056 / 7085 / 7086
Magistrate’s Court: Empangeni
6 Union Street, EMPANGENI, 3880

LIMPOPO

Master: Thohoyandou
Venda Government Building Complex, THOHOYANDOU, 0950

MPUMALANGA

Magistrate’s Court: Barberton
President Plein and De Villiers Street, BARBERTON, 1300
Magistrate’s Court: Bushbuckridge
Graskop Main Road, BUSHBUCKRIDGE, 1280

NORTH WEST

Master: Mafikeng
Justice Chambers, 44 Shippard Street, MAHIKENG, 2745
Magistrate’s Court: Klerksdorp
PC Pelser Building, O R Tambo Street Entrance, KLERKSDORP, 2570

WESTERN CAPE

Magistrate’s Court: Beaufort West
C/o Church and Bird Streets, BEAUFORT WEST, 6970
Magistrate’s Court: George
C/o. York & Courtney Street, GEORGE, 6530
Magistrate’s Court: George
120 St. John Street, OUDTSHOORN, 6620
Magistrate’s Court: Vredendal
24 Voortrekker Street, VREDENDAL, 8160

* Information obtained from Department of Justice and Constitutional Development Copyright © 2018

The Guardian’s Fund falls under the control of the Master of the High Court.

CAN I CLAIM ANY ALLOWANCE MAINTENANCE FROM THE GUARDIAN’S FUND, AND IF SO, HOW?

The guardian of a minor/persons incapable of managing their own affairs can claim maintenance/allowance from the Guardian’s Fund.

The Master is entitled to pay for maintenance, such as school and university fees, clothes, medical fees, boarding and lodging and any other needs that can be fully motivated.

Maintenance can be claimed by the guardian/curator/person looking after the person of the beneficiary by way of lodging.

1.     If you are able to lodge your application personally, your fingerprints can be verified on site by also providing your green barcoded ID.

 

2.     If you are not able to visit one of the sites, you can attach your physical fingerprints taken by your local Police Station – upon receipt of the original application documentation; these will then be referred to Home Affairs, by the Master’s Office, for verification.

 

Note however that the latter may prolong the payment process.

HOW DO PAYMENTS TAKE PLACE?

Benefits are paid by means of direct deposit in the payee’s banking account by way of EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer).

 

WHERE CAN I LODGE MY CLAIM?

Currently the Guardian’s Fund is being administrated by six (6) Master’s Offices:

1.   Cape Town

2.     Pretoria

3.     Bloemfontein

4.     Kimberley

5.     Pietermaritzburg

6.     Grahamstown

however, you can lodge your completed application forms at:

The relevant Master’s Office administrating the funds OR at any of the MOVIT sites indicated below.

 

NORTH WEST

1.     Master: Mafikeng

Justice Chambers, 44 Shippard Street, MAHIKENG,
2745

2.     Magistrate’s Court: Klerksdorp

PC Pelser Building, O R Tambo Street Entrance,
KLERKSDORP, 2570

WESTERN CAPE

1.     Magistrate’s Court: Beaufort West

C/o Church and Bird Streets, BEAUFORT WEST, 6970

2.     Magistrate’s Court: George

C/o. York & Courtney Street, GEORGE, 6530

3.     Magistrate’s Court: Oudtshoorn

120 St. John Street, OUDTSHOORN, 6620

4.     Magistrate’s Court: Vredendal

24 Voortrekker Street, VREDENDAL, 8160

CHARGES

Services rendered by the Guardian’s Fund are free of charge for payment of Inheritances and maintenance allowances.

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