Early this year deputy minister of justice and
constitutional affairs John Jeffery paid an unannounced visit to the Cape Town
Master’s Office and was “disappointed” by its “inefficiency” (news reports).
My late mother’s estate too has been affected by four years
of unexplained delays and gross inefficiency during which documents were passed
around from pillar to post and repeatedly “lost”. The executor resubmitted them
numerous times. One impact on my
mother’s heirs was insurance of R6,000 a year, or R18,000 so far, a waste that will
not be reimbursed.
In November 2021 the executor, whose representations were ignored,
suggested we write to the Master, Zureena Agulhas, which I did complaining
about the delays. Only then did she take action. They finally issued the letter
of executorship so that now he may begin the process of
winding up the estate.
The Administration of Estates Act states the entire process
should take about six months.
A Groundup investigation in 2019 revealed numerous
long-standing problems at Cape Town Master’s Office and others around the country. So
it’s strange its dysfunction is a surprise to Jeffery. Clearly it’s a case of
deliberate ignorance. The financial and other cost on citizens is not a
priority for them or Master’s Office.
These problems are indicative of those in other justice divisions,
the Cape Town Inquest Magistrate Court and National Prosecutions Authority too (and
sister department police). There is a backlog of at least five years at the
Court of unnatural death cases and many remain unresolved.
Like my mother’s case which is outstanding from 2017. It has
been five years since she died and we still do not have the official cause of
death. Both NPA and Court are silent to our periodic requests for information
despite the Inquests Act stating they must consider the family.
Like the Master, there has been passing the buck and inefficiency
and irregularities. To my emails in August 2019 about the case’s status and request
for information, the NPA referred me to the clerk of the court. The clerk,
Wilmarie du Toit, who previously had ignored my emails, rudely and aggressively
wrote back the public don’t understand how public servants work (but they don’t
work!).
Du Toit also said “Do not twist my
words to justify your warped sense of public servants” and “your poorly veiled
insults will not force the inquest to be finalised sooner [sic]”.
Their dismissal, and state’s toward South Africans in general, of the family is equal to their bias and aggression in this matter.
I believe that contributing to the case’s indefinite delay and
never-never status is the impasse of our serious allegations against NPA,
Court, SAPS, Western Cape Government (former premier Helen Zille among them)
and state pathologist Gavin Kirk regarding various irregularities and
violations of the law.
These include NPA, SAPS and pathologist handing
privileged information to outside associates (but the family who are entitled
to it are denied it), NPA and SAPS facilitating Zille’s interference in the
inquest investigation (WC Government employees are the accused).
The NPA and Court have been silent including to my recent
letter. Last week I wrote to Jeffery about our experiences with the Master, NPA
and Court. Silence. The arrogance and hypocrisy of government-employed
fuckers and their dismissal of citizens is beyond belief.
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