Who Is Who And Who Does What in a Will?

Understanding who is who in a will and setting up estate planning made easy.

Ever read a will and had no idea who’s who? 🤔 Here are the key names you’ll come across in South African wills and estate planning:

📌 Testator – the person making the will
📌 Beneficiary – anyone named to inherit something
📌 Heir – who inherits by law if there’s no will
📌 Executor – the person who winds up the estate
📌 Master of the High Court – the government office overseeing it all

A plain-English guide to the people involved in South African wills and estate planning – testator, beneficiary, heir, executor and the Master of the High Court.

Our guide explains what each role actually does, how executor and beneficiary can overlap, the difference between will drafting and full estate planning, and what happens (and who inherits) if someone dies without a valid will. Find out more in this post here.