Justice department opens national wills week at eMalahleni stadium

SABC News reports that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, working with the Law Society of South Africa and other participating stakeholders, launched National Wills Week at a community engagement event at eMalahleni stadium in Mpumalanga on Monday, 14 September 2026.

The campaign, observed annually this month, gives members of the public information on why a valid will matters, and help drafting one. It also points people to legal services they can reach and to the practitioners who provide them.

Community members began arriving at the stadium on the morning of the launch and were taken into a tent, where wills were drafted, printed and handed to them to take home.

What the week offers, and who it is for

The push is aimed squarely at rural communities, which do not always have a lawyer nearby and do not always have a way to reach the Masters of the High Court, the offices that administer deceased estates.

Speaking from eMalahleni, Gabo Mashite Spiel of the South African Women Lawyers Association said a will makes the administration of a deceased estate flow more easily and closes off disputes, because the document records what the deceased person wanted. Where a valid will exists, she said, the family does not have to appoint an attorney at the time of death. They submit the will and the required documents to the Master’s office, and the process is simpler.

Her association has worked with the department on the initiative for several years. At an earlier event in a rural part of the province, it assisted more than 100 community members.

Where to find a will that already exists

A large part of the week’s work is checking wills that people already have, to confirm they are valid.

Mashite Spiel set out where families should look when someone dies and no one is sure whether a will was left. The first step is a family conversation about estate planning and about where important documents are kept. If that draws a blank, families can ask the banks. Where a spouse worked in the mines, the human resources department is the place to check, because a will is sometimes lodged there, particularly where a pension is involved.

She put the responsibility for that search back on the household. Families should decide in advance who they trust to hold the document, she said.

What happens after this week

The engagement continues beyond the launch. From Tuesday, lawyers and organisations will be available at the Master’s office in eMalahleni, which stands behind the high court. Legal Aid South Africa is also available to assist through the week.

Mashite Spiel urged community members to use the opportunity in numbers.

The same services are being offered at the Masters of the High Court across all nine provinces, so families outside Mpumalanga can reach the help in their own province during the week. National Wills Week runs to the end of this week.

Source: SABC News (YouTube). Read the original item.