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Sibling Showdown: How One Missing Word in a Will Divided a Family: [an extract from an article Provided by: Jardim Bekker Inc – September 2024 Newsletter]
“From small mistakes come great catastrophes.” (Justin Cronin)…
We’ve all seen how even the smallest mistake can have huge consequences down the line. A recent High Court spat between siblings over a poorly-drafted will confirms once again that when it comes to important documents (and it doesn’t get more important than your will!), every word counts.
The joint will and the “30-day survivor” clause
In their joint will, a wealthy couple had left everything to each other. When the husband died, his wife inherited their whole joint estate. Things started to come unstuck when she was then found to be unable to manage her own affairs and placed under curatorship – before she had a chance to make her own new will.
When she died 3 years later, only the original joint will remained. Her three children quickly came to blows over whether that joint will still applied to their mother’s estate, or whether she had died without any will (“intestate”)
If this article is of interest to You, You can view the Original, Full article here: → https://www.dotnews.co.za/Code/Article.aspx?qry=yKPR5eDKNlaukY9Ps7iCg3x2G68IxYIBM66umpQfbx8SmiHktYHTWebeJ8zrd95wzcugwy0FmQ2T5k5jd12TaKh2_tWSRu_jTqU5kHAv1x0=-NOPAD