The first 72 hours

You do not have to be efficient. Most things can wait until morning. These are the four or five things that usually have to happen on the night itself.

• If the death has not been formally certified, ask the attending doctor, hospital or paramedic to issue the BI-1663 Notification of Death.
• If the death was sudden, unexplained or unnatural, contact SAPS on 10111 - they will arrange the necessary forensic process before the body is released.
• Phone a funeral director. They can collect the body, advise on burial vs cremation, and usually help register the death at Home Affairs on your behalf.
• Make sure someone is with surviving minor children, frail dependants and pets, and that the home is secure.
• Tell only the people who must be told tonight - closest family, employer if it changes the morning, the school of any minor children.

By the end of the first full day, most families have spoken to a funeral parlour and started locating the documents that will be needed in the week ahead. Move at your own pace.

• Locate the deceased's South African ID and any passport - Home Affairs needs the original ID to issue the Death Certificate.
• Begin to look for the original signed will. Try the obvious places: a fireproof box, a desk drawer, the safe at the office, an envelope clipped to the inside of the wardrobe door.
• Confirm funeral logistics with the funeral director: date, venue, transport, religious or cultural rites, catering, notices.
• Write down approximate locations of the will, ID, bank cards, and house and car keys. Do not move large sums of money or sign anything binding yet.
• Keep a simple notebook of every call: the person you spoke to, the reference number, the date. This saves enormous time later.

Almost nothing financial has to be done in 72 hours. The estate cannot be reported until you have a Death Certificate. The stress, mostly, is not knowing what is coming.

• Notify the deceased's funeral cover provider (policy number on hand) - many policies pay out within 48 hours and ease the immediate cash-flow gap.
• Tell the deceased's employer or, if self-employed, their bookkeeper or business partner. They can pause anything time-sensitive.
• Do not yet notify banks, SARS, medical aid or the Master of the High Court - that comes in week two with a certified Death Certificate in hand.
• Do not draw money from the deceased's accounts and do not sell vehicles, property or shares. These steps follow the executor's appointment.
• Decide who in the family will be the single point of contact for institutions in the coming weeks. One name on every form keeps things calm.