First, breathe. Nothing has to happen in the next five minutes that cannot wait for you to sit down. When you are ready, work through these steps, or call us on 033 342 1278 and we will walk through them with you.
The first hour
What you do first depends on where the person died.
- At home, expected (illness or old age): phone the doctor, hospice or clinic who was caring for them. A medical professional needs to confirm the death before the body is moved. Then call us, we collect from the home at any hour.
- In hospital or a care home: the staff will confirm the death and keep your family member safe in their mortuary. You do not have to rush. Call us when you are ready and we will collect from the hospital mortuary.
- Suddenly, or in an accident, or the cause is not known: phone 10111 (police) or 10177 (ambulance). By law the death must be reported and the body goes to a state (Forensic Pathology) mortuary first. We collect from there once it is released.
Natural and unnatural death, when the police are involved
South African law treats a death as either natural (from illness or age) or unnatural (accident, injury, or unknown cause).
- A natural death is confirmed by a doctor, who issues the medical certificate of cause of death. From there the funeral can be arranged.
- An unnatural death must be reported to the police and examined by a state pathologist. This can take a few days. It is nobody's fault and it does not mean anything is wrong, it is simply the law protecting everyone. We stay in contact with the mortuary and collect your family member the moment they are released.
How your family member is collected and cared for
Once a medical professional has confirmed the death, we bring our mortuary vehicle to the hospital, mortuary or home. Your loved one is carried with care to our mortuary (amakhaza), where the body is prepared and kept safely and coolly until the funeral. This preparation is ukulungiswa komzimba. You are welcome to tell us any cultural or religious practices your family follows, and we will honour them.
How collection and repatriation works
Registering the death and the death certificate
Every death in South Africa must be registered with the Department of Home Affairs. The steps are:
- The doctor completes the Notification of Death (form BI-1663) and the medical certificate of cause of death.
- These are taken to Home Affairs (or a funeral director acting for the family) with the deceased's ID.
- Home Affairs issues the Death Report (BI-1680) and then the official Death Certificate. A burial order (BI-14) is needed before a burial can take place.
We are registered to handle this for the families we serve, we complete the BI-1663 process, collect the death certificate, and bring you the copies you will need for claims and the bank. You keep the originals.
See how we handle the documents and admin
SASSA, UIF and other claims
There may be money owed to the family. We can point you to the right office and prepare the documents; we do not give financial or legal advice, and these benefits are paid by the government, not by us.
- SASSA social relief and grants: if the person received a SASSA grant it must be reported and stopped, and a surviving family member may qualify for support. Ask at your nearest SASSA office or call SASSA on 0800 60 10 11.
- UIF death benefit: if the person was employed and paid UIF, their dependants may claim the UIF death benefit through the Department of Employment and Labour.
- Funeral policies and burial societies: notify any funeral policy, burial society (umasingcwabisane) or employer group scheme early, most pay out quickly once they have the death certificate.
Arranging the funeral
With the paperwork moving, the family can plan the funeral itself. Most families in our area hold the service on a Saturday, which means the work of the week before is:
- Agreeing the date, the church or venue, and who will lead the service.
- Arranging the grave, the umgodi, with the cemetery or on family land, and the burial order from Home Affairs.
- Choosing the coffin or casket, the programme, and how the home and the service will be set up, tent, chairs, sound, catering.
- Telling family who are far away. If some cannot travel, we can live-stream the service so they can be part of it.
This is the part we do every day. Tell us the date and the place, and we bring the hearse, the family cars, the tent and chairs, the flowers and the sound, set up and ready.
A typical timeline to a Saturday funeral
- Day of death: confirmation by a doctor, collection by us, and the first arrangements meeting, in person or over the phone.
- Within two to three days: death registered, death certificate and burial order obtained, coffin and service chosen.
- The days before: grave prepared, venue and home set up, programme printed, family notified.
- Saturday: the service and the burial. We are there through all of it.
- After: a free counselling session when you are ready, and later the tombstone and the unveiling.
Questions families ask
How quickly can you collect the body?
As soon as a doctor or the hospital has confirmed the death, we can come, day or night. For an unnatural death we collect once the state mortuary releases your family member.
What documents do I need to bring?
The deceased's ID (or a copy), and your own ID. If there is a funeral policy or burial society, bring those details too. If you do not have everything, come anyway, we will help you get what is missing.
Do you handle burials outside Pietermaritzburg?
Yes. Many families bury in the Eastern Cape or elsewhere. We arrange provincial and cross-border repatriation so your family member goes home. See repatriation.
What does a funeral cost?
It depends on the coffin, the setup and the distance. We show you the options plainly, with prices, and never push you to spend more than you want to. If you have one of our funeral plans, much of it is already covered.
Can family abroad watch the funeral?
Yes. We can live-stream the service so family who cannot travel are still part of the day.
