The Master of the High Court has issued its first Directive of 2023 – the Implementation of a QR code system on deceased estate appointments.
This move is welcomed, as it set to curtail the fraudulent creation of executor appointment letters in deceased estates and will also hopefully speed up receiving appointment letters from their offices.
The QR code system will also hopefully alleviate the backlog at the banks, who need to confirm issued letters from the Master of the High Court prior to them accepting same before they can act on bank accounts held by deceased persons.
The QR Code is linked to the Master’s system and will have the following features:
- Indicate the type of letter (Letter of Authority / Letter of Executorship);
- Confirm the validity of the QR Code;
- Whether the letter is the latest issued letter;
- Details of the estate;
- Issue date;
- Carry a system generated date stamp;
- Indicate the assistant master who approved the appointment.
As soon as the letter is issued, the system will send a text message or email to the appointee indicating the letter is approved and provide a link to view the copy of the letter.
The system has been implemented in the offices of the Johannesburg Master on 30 March 2023 and in Durban on 12 April 2023. It has yet to be implemented in the rest of the country.
If you need assistance to wind up an estate, or need to access the Master’s office, please send an email to enquiries@adaptestate.co.za.