PMB contact details, jurisdiction, reporting and follow-up

Independent Guide to the Master of the High Court, Pietermaritzburg

Use this one guide for Master of the High Court Pietermaritzburg, PMB Master's Office and related searches. Check the operational notice before travelling, then keep every estate enquiry tied to the official file number.

Verify Official Contact DetailsCheck Operational Notices
Watercolour Pietermaritzburg scene above an estate file, official stamp and key

Check before visiting

Recent PMB Operational Notice

When checked on 3 August 2026, the latest official Master's operational notice for Pietermaritzburg was dated 8 July 2026 and reported a power failure. The notice page did not label that entry resolved.

This guide cannot confirm the building's live electricity, phone, network or public-counter status. Check the official notice page and contact the office before travelling or sending time-sensitive originals.

Official entries checked 3 August 2026

Pietermaritzburg Master's Office Contact Details

The main contact entry was older than the 2026 operational notices, so verify each detail before relying on it.

Physical address

Colonial Building
241 Church Street
Pietermaritzburg

Telephone and Guardian's Fund

Switchboard: 033 264 7000
Guardian's Fund: 033 264 7046 / 033 264 7027

Postal and Docex

Private Bag X9010
Pietermaritzburg, 3200

DOCEX 56, Pietermaritzburg

Email and listed public hours

MasterPietermaritzbu@justice.gov.za
LMoatlhudi@justice.gov.za

Listed public hours: 07h45 to 16h00

The Department's published general mailbox ends in “Pietermaritzbu”. Copy it exactly from the official page and confirm delivery. Hours do not override an operational closure.

Residence, not convenience, selects the office

Pietermaritzburg Jurisdiction

For a person who lived in South Africa, the Department says the estate must be reported to the Master in whose jurisdiction the deceased lived during the 12 months before death. The place of death, heir's home and location of one asset do not decide it.

KwaZulu-Natal has separate Master's Offices in Pietermaritzburg and Durban, along with magistrates' service points. Do not send a PMB file to Durban, or a Durban file to PMB, based only on the province. Confirm the deceased's last ordinary residence and the office or service point that holds the matter.

Use ICMS to identify an existing estate's office and number

Public administration and supervision

What the PMB Master's Office Handles

Deceased estates

Registration, will acceptance, executor or representative appointment, L&D-account examination and supervision.

Trusts

Inter vivos and testamentary trust matters falling within the office's jurisdiction, including trustee authority and required records.

Guardian's Fund

Protected money and claims for minors, untraced heirs and other people covered by the governing law.

Insolvencies

Statutory supervision of insolvent estates, appointees, meetings and accounts.

Curatorships and tutors

Oversight of court-appointed people who administer another person's property or affairs.

Not the executor

The Master supervises the executor or representative. The office does not perform the family's estate administration, tax, conveyancing or private legal work.

Report the estate, then obtain the file reference

How to Report a Deceased Estate to PMB

01

Confirm jurisdiction

Use ordinary residence during the 12 months before death and resolve PMB-versus-Durban uncertainty first.

02

Check the current route

Review DOJ Online Services and the PMB operational notice. If the system does not offer the correct route, follow the office's current lodgement instructions.

03

Complete the correct pack

The will, estate value, marriage, nomination and security position determine the forms and supporting records.

04

Keep proof and follow up

Retain copies, online references, courier or counter proof and the estate number. Never send the only original will without a traceable route.

The estate must be reported within 14 days. Where an original will exists, the Department's online guidance still requires that original to be lodged.

Estate-reporting checklist

Documents to Prepare

Requirements differ between full administration and a section 18(3) estate. Use the current official checklist for the final pack.

Estate and family records

  • Death Notice, form J294
  • Death certificate and required identity copy
  • All original wills and codicils
  • Inventory, form J243, with asset values
  • Marriage proof and declaration of marriage
  • Next-of-Kin Affidavit, form J192, for an intestate estate

Appointment records

  • Nomination where no effective executor nomination exists
  • J190 acceptance and executor identity copy for full administration
  • J262 security records unless lawfully exempt
  • J155 acceptance of Master's directions for the simplified route
  • Creditor list and other fact-specific affidavits
  • Any document requested in an online rework notice
Check the Current Official Requirements

A will nomination is not yet legal authority

Checking Letters of Executorship or Authority

An estate above R250,000 generally requires full administration and Letters of Executorship. If the gross estate does not exceed R250,000, the Master may issue section 18(3) Letters of Authority instead. The Master, not the family or will alone, issues the authority.

Ask the online applicant to check any status or rework request, search the registered file on ICMS, and request the issued appointment letter. Quote the estate number in a precise written PMB enquiry if the status remains unclear.

See what the appointment letter authorises

Online options, with a PMB availability check

Registration and Estate Tracking Online

DOJ Online Services

The Department provides deceased-estate registration and status functions. Check whether the PMB jurisdiction and required transaction are currently available in the system. Do not choose another office merely to complete the form.

Open DOJ Online Services

Public ICMS search

Search Master's Office records available from 2008 onward to identify an estate number, PMB office record and other information displayed by the portal.

Search the official ICMS portal

Trust matters

Trust registration, beneficial-ownership reporting and SARS tax registration are separate stages. Confirm the current PMB trust lodgement route rather than assuming the Gauteng rollout applies.

Understand the separate trust steps

Plan for a traceable response, including during outages

Following Up With the PMB Master's Office

Your written enquiry should contain

  • Estate number, deceased's name and date of death
  • Your identity, relationship or legal interest
  • Online application reference or lodgement proof
  • Last completed milestone and known date
  • Exact missing response, letter, query or examination status
  • Earlier correspondence and a reasonable response date

If systems or phones are unavailable

  • Check whether the operational notice has been updated or resolved
  • Do not repeatedly submit the same estate and create duplicate references
  • Preserve the failed-email or call dates without publishing private data
  • Use a trackable delivery route if the office confirms it
  • Separate an office outage from work still owed by the executor

The Department's complaint route starts with the relevant Assistant Master, then Deputy Master, then Head of Office. Escalate with the file record and earlier correspondence, not a general statement that the estate is taking too long.

Private support, separate from the PMB office

Need Help With a Pietermaritzburg Estate?

Bring the residence facts, estate number or application reference, appointment letter, latest Master query and prior correspondence. Do not send original documents or banking credentials over WhatsApp.

Get Estate Administration HelpCall 010 021 5578WhatsApp

Scope and Limits

This independent guide is general South African information. It is not an official notice, live outage confirmation, jurisdiction ruling, filing receipt, legal opinion, appointment or complaint.

Because the published contact entry is older and operational conditions have changed, verify the official pages each time before relying on an address, number, email or opening hour.

Editorial and Professional Record

Author
Muhammad Khan
Director and Information Officer, K2023120042 (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd t/a willandtrust.co.za. Business and editorial role only; no legal or fiduciary credential is claimed.
Professional reviewer
Not yet assigned
A South African deceased-estates attorney must add their name, credentials, registration and review date.
Details verified
Official DOJ contacts, operational notices and service sources checked 3 August 2026.
Maintenance
Recheck the contact page and operational-notice page at least monthly while the July 2026 notice remains unresolved, then at least quarterly.
Publication status
Noindex professional-review draft. Not approved for publication.

Primary Sources Checked on 3 August 2026