Moneyweb reports that a blown substation has once again left the Johannesburg Master’s Office in darkness for several days, increasing the backlog with the filing of deceased estates, finalising trusts, and overseeing the administration of trusts.

The latest power failure was the last straw for the Johannesburg Attorneys Association (JAA), which has reached out to its membership to assist financially with the purchase of a generator. Members of JAA said in a WhatsApp chat group they had to help as the offices were cold, people have no access to the internet, and they cannot print. Katherine Gascoigne, head of the Master’s Office committee at the JAA, said the situation was intolerable. “It is despicable that people are left to work in such conditions. No wonder the staff becomes despondent. They cannot charge their phones, laptops or even switch on a kettle for coffee or tea,” Gascoigne noted. When there is a power outage, the lifts don’t operate and there is no lighting or heating. The Fiduciary Institute of SA (Fisa) has joined the initiative and called for urgent private sector support to alleviate the dire situation at the Joburg Master’s Office, which has been without power for several days. Fisa CEO Louis van Vuren described the situation as “untenable”. According to Gascoigne, Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi is quite aware of the dire circumstances under which the staff are supposed to operate. The minister has been to the office and has herself been caught in a power outage while at the premises.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Amanda Visser at Moneyweb

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