Understanding the importance of a will
Local attorney Nthabiseng Maleka recommends signing three originals and handing over a copy of your will to your attorney for safekeeping and further letting your next-of-kin know where your will is kept.

National Wills Week, held from September 12 to 16, was aimed to educate South Africans about the importance of drafting a will.
Resident Nthabiseng Maleka, an attorney, defined a will as a document that sets out the last wishes of a deceased person.
“In essence, a will speaks for the deceased. It sets out how the deceased would like his or her deceased estate to devolve. The importance of drafting a will is that it ensures easy management for a person’s assets once they have passed away,” says Maleka.
The will ensures that beneficiaries are protected and further eradicates possible family issues that may arise in respect of the deceased’s estate.
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Maleka advises that anyone above the age of 16 is entitled to execute their last will and the person will need to be of sound mind and be able to comprehend the contents of the will they are making.
She said that for a will to be valid, it must be signed at the end by the testator or any other person with direction from the testators in the testator’s presence.
“A testator is a person making the will. The will must be signed by two competent witnesses above the age of 16 who can testify. It should be signed by witnesses in each other’s presence and that of a testator,” says Maleka.
If a person passes away without a will, Maleka adds that their estate will devolve intestate. This means the Intestate Succession Act will regulate how their estate is to be managed.
Maleka recommends that individuals update their wills as they acquire more assets that form part of their estate.
“The last testament of an individual can be kept at their homes or with the bank. Alternatively, anywhere one believes it is safe to keep their will.”
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