Magistrates office Upington - contact number

[heinrich]

Anyone have a contact number (or person) for the Upington Magistrates office?

We applied - almost a year ago - for a copy of a marriage certificate (of my grandparents), and so far absolutely nothing.

My aunt applied via the home office in Durban, but apparently the records are not electronic so they need to physically get it from Upington's archives.

Dankie

[Deanw]

1 seconds on Google: 054 337 5300

2 Seconds on Google: http://www.justice.gov.za/contact/lowercourts_full.html

Having gone through similar requests, it's always best to do it in person (or via a rep).

[heinrich]

Thanks Dean.

I'm posting here because we tried that number already of course. ("Die nommer wat jy skakel, bestaan nie meer nie...")

We have a local contact in Upington, but even that seems to not be working this time. I'm hoping someone can help provide me with either a different phone number or a contact that can liaise with our person there.

[Jack Welles]

Have an Upington attorney send his or her articled clerk to the court to uplift the relevant doc?

[Deanw]

Another option is to see if the church where they got married has any records (assuming you know where they got married).

[pws]

Be a devil. see if any of the online archives have the required information.

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/No ... _Genealogy

[Deanw]

Our family managed to find a "lost" document at the National Archives in Roland St, Cape Town.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.za/sea ... ollections (Seems to be down at the moment)

[heinrich]

Thanks for the suggestions. They didn't get married in a church, definitely in the magistrates office. And we know the records aren't electronic, as home office confirmed that too. So any digital search is pointless. Believe me, I went that route first years ago already.

Eddie the irony is that one of our friends here is actually an attorney, and it's one of her family members that is doing local inquiries for us there. Sadly we don't know any local attorneys there. Are you saying a clerk would be able to go in and find the documents themselves, or will they just be able to speak to someone there with more clout?

[Deanw]

Just for info, the National Archive search facility I posted above does not return the actual document, just the basic details and where in the archive the actual document is filed.

[Jack Welles]

Thanks for the suggestions. They didn't get married in a church, definitely in the magistrates office. And we know the records aren't electronic, as home office confirmed that too. So any digital search is pointless. Believe me, I went that route first years ago already.

Eddie the irony is that one of our friends here is actually an attorney, and it's one of her family members that is doing local inquiries for us there. Sadly we don't know any local attorneys there. Are you saying a clerk would be able to go in and find the documents themselves, or will they just be able to speak to someone there with more clout?

Two things:
1) to find an attorney in Upington is as simple as googling "attorney Upington".
2) can't speak for that specific office but IME you go to the counter, give the names of the parties and the relevant date and a person behind the counter kraps in the records (or tells you where you go if already archived) and after a seemingly long period of time out pops a copy of the relevant doc.
BUT judging whether cost is justified is personal to your situation so
3) when emailing the attorney found in 1) ask in the contacting email what it will cost to produce the doc and then, if it is worth it under the circumstances, press the "go" button.