The first two weeks

These are the things that usually have to happen in the first three days. Tick them off in your own time. There is no perfect order.

• If the death has not yet 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.
• Contact 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.
• Locate the deceased's South African ID and any passport - Home Affairs needs the original ID to issue the Death Certificate.
• Tell only the people who must be told today (closest family, employer, minor dependants' school).
• Make sure someone is with surviving minor children, frail dependants and pets, and that the home is secure.
• Write down approximate locations of the will, ID, bank cards and house/car keys. Do not move large sums of money or sign anything binding yet.

By the end of the first week most families have a Death Certificate, a funeral plan and have notified the few institutions that absolutely cannot wait.

• Register the death at Home Affairs (or via the funeral director) using the BI-1663 form. You will receive an abridged Death Certificate (BI-5) - ask for at least 5 to 10 certified copies, you will need them often.
• Confirm funeral logistics with the funeral director: date, venue, transport, religious or cultural rites, catering, notices.
• Decide on burial vs cremation in line with the deceased's wishes (check the will, any letter of wishes, or recorded When I Am Gone instructions).
• Notify the deceased's employer or, if self-employed, their bookkeeper / business partner. Ask about salary, leave pay-out, group life cover and pension nominations.
• Notify any funeral cover provider (policy number on hand) - many policies pay out within 48 hours.
• If the deceased lived alone, secure the home: collect mail, redirect post, cancel newspaper and food deliveries.
• Keep a simple notebook of every call, the person you spoke to, the reference number and the date - this saves enormous time later.

From about day seven the focus shifts to opening the deceased estate at the Master's Office and telling the institutions that hold the deceased's accounts and obligations.

• Locate the original signed will. If you cannot find it, ask the deceased's bank, attorney or fiduciary practitioner - many wills are stored in safe custody.
• Report the estate to the Master of the High Court within 14 days of the death (Administration of Estates Act, 1965). Submit the death notice (J294), original will, original Death Certificate, an inventory (J243) and the next-of-kin affidavit if there is no will.
• If the gross value of the estate is below R 250 000, ask about a Section 18(3) appointment - it is faster and cheaper than a full Letters of Executorship.
• Notify the deceased's bank(s). They will freeze the deceased's individual accounts; joint accounts and accounts in the surviving spouse's name normally continue.
• Notify medical aid, short-term insurers (car, home) and any retirement annuity / pension fund administrators.
• Notify SARS that the taxpayer is deceased - via eFiling or a SARS branch with the Death Certificate and ID.
• Notify any credit providers (home loan, vehicle finance, credit cards, store cards). Most will not require immediate payment but want to be told.
• Cancel debit orders that are no longer needed - keep critical ones (rates, water, electricity, security) running.
• If the deceased was a director, member or trustee of any company, close corporation or trust, notify the co-directors / trustees and the entity's accountant.

There is often a real cash-flow gap between the death and the executor being able to pay things from the estate. The goal of this phase is short-term stability without committing the estate.

• Submit the funeral cover claim - certified Death Certificate, ID copies of claimant and deceased, completed claim form, banking details.
• Submit pension fund and group life claims via the employer or fund administrator - these often pay surviving spouse and children directly outside the estate.
• Make a one-page household budget for the next 30, 60 and 90 days using the income that will continue versus essential expenses.
• Apply for the Social Relief of Distress grant via SASSA only if the family has no income at all - it is short-term and modest, but real.
• Do not draw money from the deceased's frozen accounts. Do not sell vehicles, property or shares before Letters of Executorship are issued.
• If you genuinely cannot meet a critical payment, phone the provider before the due date - they almost always grant a short extension on the strength of a Death Certificate.

These are not commercial decisions, but they shape the next year. Take them slowly. There is no prize for moving fast.

• Tell yourself: do not make a major irreversible decision in the first two weeks. Not the house, not the car, not the job, not the relationship.
• Accept help with cooking, lifts, paperwork and admin - keep a small list of jobs people can actually do for you.
• If there are minor children, keep their routine as close to normal as you can. Tell their school. Ask the school's counsellor what support is available.
• If the deceased was the family's primary income earner and there is no cover or pension, write down the three biggest financial questions to answer in the next 90 days - do not yet act on them.
• Reach out to a recognised SA bereavement support organisation if it would help. LifeLine SA: 0861 322 322. SADAG: 0800 567 567. Compassionate Friends SA for bereaved parents.
• Pace your communication: a single short message can replace dozens of phone calls when you have no energy.
• Schedule a single quiet hour, once a week, to do nothing administrative at all.