South Africans who do not have wills are urged to make use of the free National Wills Week initiated by the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) from September 13 – 17.
According to the LSSA, people who couldn’t get their wills done due to lockdown restrictions now have the chance as they launched Wills Week with the support of key stakeholders to ensure that members of the public have their wills drafted by practising attorneys, who have the necessary knowledge and expertise to ensure that the will is valid by complying with all the legal requirements in the Wills Act.
The LSSA’s Wills Week also presents the ideal opportunity for members of the public to be able to have a basic will drafted by an attorney free of charge.
President of the LSSA, Jan van Rensburg said that as a parent, a breadwinner, a homeowner and you generally want to ensure that your affairs are in order, it’s important that you have a valid will drafted by a professional.
“A valid will allows you to state your last wishes, who should inherit your assets and property, to appoint an executor of your choice for your estate and a guardian for your minor children,” Van Rensburg stated.
Van Rensburg added that by ensuring that you have a valid will, you as the testator can protect the interests of your loved ones and ensure that there’s no delay in settling your estate after your death, and not add undue hardships for your family.
Meanwhile, during National Wills Week, attorneys participating in the initiative will display posters with their contact details so that members of the public can make appointments with attorneys there. Contact details and addresses of all participating attorneys can be accessed on the LSSA website.
Requirements:
- Your ID document
- A list of what you own (including specific personal items that you wish to bequeath to specific people)
- A list of beneficiaries and their ID numbers
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