Executor checklist: the first 7 days (South Africa)
What an executor (or family member acting before Letters are issued) should do in the week after a death in South Africa. Practical, plain-English checklist for South African executors and family members.
What an executor (or family member acting before Letters are issued) should do in the week after a death in South Africa.
These checklists are written for South African estates governed by the Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965 and the Estates Regulations.
Step 1: Obtain the death certificate
The doctor or hospital issues the BI-1663 (Notification of Death/Stillbirth). Take it to a Department of Home Affairs office or an authorised undertaker to be exchanged for the death certificate (DHA-5).
Order at least five certified copies. Banks, the Master, SARS and insurers each want their own.
Step 2: Locate the will and the estate vault
Find the most recent original signed will. If you cannot find it, contact the deceased's attorney, bank, or the Master's Office (which holds wills lodged for safekeeping).
If the deceased used When I Am Gone, the appointed key-holders can unlock the digital vault containing the asset register, account list and final wishes.
Step 3: Notify the major institutions
Phone the deceased's bank, medical aid, retirement-fund administrator and life insurers to put a hold on accounts and start the claims processes.
Cancel scheduled debit orders that are not for essential running costs (rates, water, electricity, security).
Practical tips
- Keep a single shared notebook (or vault) with every reference number, contact name and document location. Estate administration runs on follow-ups.
- When in doubt, write to the Master and the SARS estates branch in writing rather than relying on phone calls. A paper trail protects the executor against later challenge.
Frequently asked questions
When does the first 7 days window start?
The clock starts on the date of death (or, where Letters are required, on the date the Master issues Letters of Executorship).
Can a family member do this without an attorney?
Section 18(3) estates (gross value R250,000 or less) can usually be handled by a family member without an attorney. Estates above that threshold are technical enough that most families appoint a fiduciary practitioner or attorney to act as executor.