The Democratic Alliance is deeply alarmed by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development’s written replies to our parliamentary question on the state of the Master’s Offices.
The DA will now request that the Master’s Office appear before Parliament to account.
The Minister’s responses confirm long‑standing systemic dysfunction that leaves beneficiaries in limbo for months, often years, while the Department shows little urgency in addressing the crisis. Despite these issues being well‑known, the Master’s Office appears to be stuck in the planning, consideration, and evaluation stages of potential interventions.
The Minister further confirmed that no statistics are kept on open estate matters and admitted that finalisation frequently takes years.
In another reply, the Minister stated that turnaround times beyond six months are not tracked, highlighting an alarming absence of basic performance measurement.
There is also no approved caseload ratio for estate controllers, and the average workload per official has not been determined.
If the Department is not properly measuring delays, despite knowing they exist, how can it effectively respond to the inefficiency crippling service delivery?
Master’s Offices handle matters that directly affect the daily lives of South Africans, and delays have serious personal and financial consequences.
While interventions such as procedural reviews, reducing bureaucratic red tape, exploring partnerships with legal associations, and future digitisation efforts are welcome, thousands of South Africans cannot wait for long‑term reforms that remain in planning.
Time is of the essence, and repeated acknowledgement of the problem is no substitute for action.
There should be no vacancies in Master’s Offices already under severe strain.
Posts must be filled urgently, and immediate support must be provided to overburdened offices while structural reforms proceed.
The DA will continue to demand urgent, measurable action to restore efficiency, accountability, and dignity in these critical offices.