CEO of LASA, Lerato Moloi, urges artists and creatives to take up wills

CEO of Lawyers For The Arts South Africa (LASA), Lerato Moloi, is making it her mission to ensure that artists and creatives don't leave this world intestate.

She wants to put an end to the days when creatives and artists die without proper planning for their estates and wills.

Speaking to Drum at her first workshop attended by a throng of creatives in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, Lerato details the objective of the workshops and what she wants to achieve with them.

“These are things we can't ignore, because when you die without a will or you go intestate, the government takes over and the process becomes very difficult. Death will visit all of us, but it's important for artists and creatives to have wills in place, so that they don't go intestate.”

“A will helps you know who should inherit your assets and everything you leave behind.”

One of her experiences of having someone dear in her life pass away without a will is what pushed her to ensure that she creates an awareness about these kinds of issues among creatives and artists.

“I have a friend who recently passed away. He was in the middle of a production, and he was due another tranche of funding, but he didn't have a will. If there was a will in place, someone or a family member would be able to collect the money from the funders,” she explains.

She adds that a will is something that helps in the event of death, because it stipulates your wishes and clearly states who the beneficiary is.

“A will helps you in that it clearly states who the nominated beneficiary is in the event of death, and it serves as proof of your wishes should you die. Without a will, it's difficult to prove anything. I recently had one drafted,” she reveals.

Getting creatives and artists to have wills is something that Lerato is passionate about, because “I've watched too many creatives and artists die and we have to donate, but I want to change that narrative, because I also want to have some kind of policy attached to the company so that artists and creatives are covered from a small amount,” she says.

She's put her ambitions on the back burner because she believes that all artists and creatives should have life cover and wills in place to prevent unnecessary problems in the event of their death, as too many people die without these, which is essential.

“Having these things in place is important to prevent unnecessary things like getting the government involved because an artist had died without a will in place.”

In her personal capacity, she reveals that she has also set up a will, which will ensure that the organisation LASA, which she helms, will continue.

“I have stipulated in my will that in the event of my death, the organisation must continue, and I have nominated people who will carry it forward. I wanted artists and creatives to have peace of mind and know that even when they are no longer around, someone will benefit from their estate,” she concludes, urging artists and creatives to “please get their affairs in order.”