Aspects to keep in mind when drafting a will

• A South African will must be drawn up in accordance with the Wills Act of South Africa;
• A will must be in writing. Subsequently, that means no oral wills or video recordings are valid;
• The will must be signed by the testator on each page, as well as at the end of the document (last page);
• The testator should sign the will in the presence of 2 or more witnesses. These witnesses should be at least 14 years old and competent to give evidence in court. It is not required that the witnesses know the content of the will, just that they are witnessing that it is the testator’s will;
• The witnesses may not be executors or beneficiaries in terms of the will.