For bereaved familiesA 3-minute read
The first 72 hours
A practical South African guide for the first three days
You do not have to be efficient right now. Almost nothing financial has to be done in the first three days. Banks, SARS, medical aid and the Master of the High Court can all wait until you have a Death Certificate in hand. What cannot always wait are the collection and care of the body, funeral arrangements, the immediate needs of surviving children, elderly or frail dependants, and faith requirements. For Muslim and Jewish families, burial timings are set by religious practice and should be coordinated with your imam, burial society or Chevra Kadisha as soon as you are able.
The first few hours
Tonight: what must happen now
You do not have to be efficient. Most things can wait until morning. These are the things that usually cannot wait until the next day.
- 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 versus cremation, and usually help register the death at Home Affairs on your behalf.
- For Muslim families: contact the imam or burial society immediately. Janazah prayer, washing and shrouding, and burial should happen as soon as possible, and ideally within 24 hours. Let the imam or burial society guide timing and logistics.
- For Jewish families: contact the Chevra Kadisha. Burial is required as soon as possible under halacha, and the Chevra Kadisha will guide you through tahara and all other requirements.
- 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, the employer if it affects the morning, and the school of any minor children.
Tomorrow (day one)
Tomorrow: documents and the first decisions
By the end of the first full day, most families have confirmed funeral arrangements and started gathering 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. If the deceased was Muslim, check whether a will drafted with Shariah-side considerations exists. Its structure may differ from a standard South African will. A qualified scholar of the family's madhhab confirms the Shariah-side validity, and the executor follows the South African Wills Act 7 of 1953 for execution.
- Confirm funeral logistics with the funeral director: date, venue, transport, religious or cultural rites, catering and notices.
- Make a simple written list of what you have located: ID, will, bank cards, house keys, car keys, and any passwords or device PINs if they are lawfully available to you.
- Keep a written call log: the person you spoke to, their institution, the reference number, and the date and time. This saves enormous time later.
- Do not sign any documents or move any money without advice from a qualified attorney first. This is especially important if anyone is putting you under pressure to act quickly.
Days two and three
Days two and three: what can wait
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.
- Banks, SARS, medical aid and the Master of the High Court do not typically need to be notified before you have a certified Death Certificate. For most estates this can wait until week two. If you are unsure whether your circumstances require earlier action, check with a qualified attorney or fiduciary practitioner.
- Vehicles, property and shares belonging to the deceased should not be sold until the executor is formally appointed by the Master of the High Court. If you have an urgent cash-flow need, ask a qualified attorney or fiduciary practitioner whether an exception applies in your specific circumstances.
- 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.
“Almost nothing financial has to be done in 72 hours. The stress lies in not knowing what you are about to need.”
When you are ready
Next steps
Most of the institutional work, the banks, SARS, the Master of the High Court and medical aid, lives in days four to fourteen. We have a longer companion for that part: the first two weeks. Open it when the funeral is behind you and the certified Death Certificate is in hand.
If it helps to read what the first three days look like for someone else, composite and consented stories from real families describe what it is actually like to wind up an estate in South Africa.