THE RELATIVE OF a 14-year-old girl has expressed great concern about the girl's future.
The girl's father died intestate, that is, without making a will, and her stepmother has not contacted her guardian to inform her of her entitlements.
"I have a niece whose father has been deceased and I am deeply concerned about her future financially," the aunt said.
"On January 4, 2003, her father died intestate. She was eleven years old at the time. He was killed by his wife during a domestic dispute. She was arrested for a brief period and the case was tried in court and the wife was acquitted on the grounds of self-defence.
"This child was born long before he was married to that woman. It is now three years since the father has died and the stepmother has not contacted the child's mother in relation to the death benefits, neither does the mother of the child know how to make contact with her as she has relocated several times since the incident. My niece's father died and left several properties and I would like to know what legal steps we could take so she can get what belongs to her."
The Administrator-General has the power under the Administrator-General's Act to apply for letters of administration in cases where persons have died intestate and there is no relative who has applied or is willing to apply. Your niece, who is a minor, is entitled to benefits from her father's estate, so you should contact either the Administrator-General's Department immediately, or a lawyer who can make the necessary contact with the Administrator-General's Department and the Supreme Court to ascertain whether Letters of Administration have been applied for and, if not, can proceed to apply for it through the Administrator-General's Department.
If Letters of Administration have already been applied for, then the lawyer would have to intervene in the administration of the estate to ensure that your niece receives all that she is entitled to, as a beneficiary.
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