FAQs

How to lodge a complaint at any service point/court/Master’s Office

a. Ask for the Court Manager/ Office Manager and lodge your complaint. Ensure that you take down his/her name and leave your contact details; and/or

b. Write your complaint and put it in the complaints box at the entrance of the service point or court;

c. Submit your complaint to our customer care e-mail address –

• Court/Service Points: servicedelivery@justice.gov.za
  
• Master’s Offices: chiefmaster@justice.gov.za
  

If dissatisfied with the response, you can:

a. contact the Office of the Provincial Head of the Province in which the service point or court is situated. Telephone numbers and contact details are available at the service point/court;

b. For any complaints or enquiries relating to a master's matter, kindly contact the relevant Master’s Office by referring to the contact list below. Please note that you should firstly contact the appropriate office where the matter has been reported, directly, e.g. Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town etc. The escalation process for complaints are indicated on website for the Office of the Chief Master.

Or

c. Write to: The Director General, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development; Service Delivery Improvement Directorate, Private Bag X81, Pretoria, 0001

When you lodge a complaint you can expect:

a. an impartial, speedy and effective complaints handling procedure;

b. an apology and appropriate redress when you are not treated well or standards have not been met.

Follow this link for more information on the departmental Service Charter or view the abridged Serive Charter poster .

This Charter sets out the standard of service you can expect from the staff of the Department in the offices of the various Court Centres / Service Points and Master’s Offices.

This Charter does not cover the professional functions delivered by the Judiciary or the National Prosecuting Authority, who are independent from the Department, or services provided by people outside the Department, such as non-governmental organisations.

This Charter also does not cover the service of criminal, civil and family law processes by sheriffs, who are appointed as independent service providers to the courts in terms of the Sheriffs Act, 1986. Complaints and questions regarding the service of processes by sheriffs can be addressed to the SA Board for Sheriffs, Private Bag 5454, Cape Town, 8000, e-mail: contact@sheriffs.org.za.