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When publishing a deceased estate, insolvency or liquidation advert in South Africa, Chief Master’s Directive 1 of 2025 (Circular 6 of 2025) governs how the online notice must be placed. Signed on 13 February 2025 by Adv K Mathibe, Acting Chief Master, the Directive must be read together with Chief Master’s Directive 1 of 2020 and binds all Masters in the performance of their estate functions.
Also read: Publish a deceased estate notice online: same-day compliance.
What the Directive confirms
The Directive confirms that an online newspaper advert satisfies the newspaper leg of statutory publication for estate notices, including the J193 Notice to Creditors (Section 29) and the J187 Liquidation and Distribution Account notice (Section 35). The Government Gazette publication itself remains required under Sections 29 and 35 of the Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965, and online publication is now the standard channel for the newspaper leg, faster, nationally accessible and producing a dated digital proof for the executor’s file.
Statutory authority
The Directive is issued under Section 3 of the Judicial Matters Amendment Act 2005 and Section 2(1) of the Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965. It binds all Masters in the performance of their estate functions and amends or repeals prior Chief Master’s Directives, Circulars or instructions on the same subject from the date of signature.
Conditions an online publication must meet
An online estate advert is acceptable if it circulates in the district where the deceased resided for the 12 months prior to passing, or, in an insolvency or liquidation matter, the district where the person resided or where the principal place of business is located. Where the relevant Act prescribes, the notice must appear in both English and Afrikaans, and the public must be able to view the notice online for free.
Section 40(3) of the Insolvency Act
For insolvency notices, Section 40(3) of the Insolvency Act 24 of 1936 requires simultaneous publication in English and Afrikaans. An online newspaper that publishes both language versions on the same day satisfies the Directive and Section 40(3) for any insolvency or liquidation advert.
What this means for fiduciary departments
For estates of R250,000 and above, the practical effect is faster lodgement of the L&D Account because online publication produces a dated public URL and a downloadable certificate of publication that is filed with the Master alongside the Gazette reference. The Directive addresses the publication channel only and does not relax the statutory wording on Form J193 or Form J187, the 30-day creditor period under Section 29 or the 21-day inspection period under Section 35.
Compliant placement through LegalNotice.co.za
LegalNotice.co.za publishes statutory estate notices in the Government Gazette and on Nuusflits, an online newspaper that adheres to all four conditions of Chief Master’s Directive 1 of 2025 and reaches all nine provinces. Each placement returns a dated digital proof and a Government Gazette extract for the file, which the Master accepts as evidence that the notice was placed correctly.
Legal Notice Publishing handles the full process for you. Contact jana@legalnotice.co.za or click here.
