Government · Contact details
Master of High Court Contact Details
The Master of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg is at 241 Church Street, Colonial Building, on 033 264 7000, and its email is MasterPietermaritzbu@justice.gov.za. The Master of the High Court in Cape Town, which handles deceased estates for the Western Cape, is at the Dullah Omar Building, 45 Castle Street, on 021 832 3000. We read these details on the Department of Justice’s Master’s Office contact page (justice.gov.za/master) on 19 September 2026.
Master of the High Court Pietermaritzburg
| Telephone | 033 264 7000 |
| Guardian’s Fund helpdesk | 033 264 7046 / 7027 |
| MasterPietermaritzbu@justice.gov.za | |
| Physical address | 241 Church Street, Colonial Building, Pietermaritzburg |
| Postal address | Private Bag X9010, Pietermaritzburg, 3200 |
| Docex | Master of the KwaZulu-Natal High Court, DOCEX 56, Pietermaritzburg |
| Public hours | 07:45 to 16:00 |
Master of the High Court Cape Town: deceased estates
| Telephone | 021 832 3000 |
| Guardian’s Fund enquiries | 021 832 3014 |
| Physical address | Dullah Omar Building, 45 Castle Street, Cape Town |
| Postal address | Private Bag X9018, Cape Town, 8000 |
| Public hours | 08:00 to 13:00 |
The Cape Town listing gives only a named official’s email address, not a general office mailbox. Call 021 832 3000 for deceased estate enquiries in the Western Cape. Note that the Cape Town office is open to the public only from 08:00 to 13:00.
Other Master’s Offices
| Office | Telephone | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Durban | 031 327 0600 (MasterDurban@justice.gov.za) | 2 Devonshire Place, 2nd Floor, Durban, 4001 |
| Johannesburg | 011 429 8000 | 66 Marshall Street, cnr Pixley ka Isaka Seme Street |
| Pretoria | 012 339 3333 / 7700 | Metropark, 351 Francis Baard, Pretoria |
| Bloemfontein | 051 411 5500 (MasterBloemfontein@justice.gov.za) | Old Southern Life Building, cnr Charlotte Maxeke and Aliwal Streets |
| Bhisho | 040 608 6600 | 1st Floor, SITA Building, cnr Phalo and Rharhabe Avenues |
| Polokwane | 015 230 6000 | Polokwane High Court Building, 4th Floor, Block B |
| Thohoyandou | 015 962 1032 (MasterThohoyandou@justice.gov.za) | Venda Government Building Complex |
| Mbombela | 013 101 3721 | 52 Samora Machel Drive, West Acres |
Reporting a deceased estate
An interested party must report the estate within 14 days of the death to the Master’s Office for the area where the deceased normally lived. For a person who lived in KwaZulu-Natal’s Pietermaritzburg area, that is the Pietermaritzburg office. For a Western Cape resident, it is Cape Town.
- Estates over R250,000: letters of executorship are issued and the full procedure under the Administration of Estates Act applies.
- Estates under R250,000: the Master may issue letters of authority under section 18(3) instead.
- Magistrates’ Office service points: these only have jurisdiction if there is no valid will and the gross estate is under R125,000, where PEAS (the Paperless Estates Administration System) is not in use.
Documents usually required include the death notice (J294), an original or certified copy of the death certificate, proof of marriage where it applies, all original wills and codicils, a next-of-kin affidavit (J192) if there is no valid will, an inventory (J243), and the executor’s acceptance of trust (J190) with a certified ID copy. A bond of security (J262) is also required unless the executor is exempted.
According to the Department of Justice, letters of authority let the nominated representative administer a smaller estate without following the full Administration of Estates Act procedure. For an intestate estate (no valid will), or where no executor was nominated, the nominated executor has died, or the nominated executor declines, the heirs must nominate an executor. If the deceased died before 2007, the next of kin must also give an affidavit that the estate has not already been reported to another Master or service point. Letters of executorship and letters of authority are issued only by the Master’s Office. Where you go to report depends on where the deceased normally lived, not where they died.
Complaints about a Master’s Office matter
The Department of Justice asks you to contact the office where the matter was reported first. Its escalation path is the Assistant Master, then the Deputy Master, then the Head of Office, and finally the Office of the Chief Master. Documents for terminated trusts go to TerminatedTrust@justice.gov.za, and for dormant trusts to DormantTrust@justice.gov.za.
Sources
- Department of Justice, Master of the High Court: Contacts: justice.gov.za/master/contacts.htm (read 19 September 2026)
- Department of Justice, How to report a deceased estate: justice.gov.za/master/deceased-how.html (read 19 September 2026)