Plan the
Funeral
The services of a funeral director are required for transport and sanitary storage of the body. Their valuable knowledge in handling Home Affairs and their experience with the various funeral arrangements can make things a lot easier for you.
Select a
Funeral
DIrector
MEET
WITH THE
Funeral
Director
- Present your loved one’s funeral policy and marriage certificate. Be clear on who needs to claim the benefits.
- Hand over your loved one’s ID, it will be returned to you after the death has been registered with the Department of Home Affairs.
- You will need to present your ID, as you will need to sign as “informant” on the Death Notice. It will be returned as soon as copies are made.
- Also hand over a photo of your loved one for the hymn sheets as well as clothes the body should be dressed in.
- Give your loved one’s personal details that will be needed for the completion of a Death Notice.
- Obtaining the death notice, which they will use to apply for an official Death Certificate and Burial Order. The Funeral Director will send all the documents to the Department of Home Affairs for registration, where a death certificate (DHA-5) will be issued. Once issued, the Funeral Director will provide you with the original and five certified copies of the Death Certificate. Important: Remember to let the Funeral Director know who will be authorised to collect the Death Certificate.
- Cemetery or crematorium bookings and funeral arrangements
- Local transport of the body
- Embalming of the body for repatriation
- Repatriation of the body across borders
- Organise obituaries and funeral notices in newspapers
- Prepare and dress the body for viewing / burial / cremation
Some funeral homes avoid showing you the more inexpensive coffins and caskets, so kindly ask for more options if you do not see what you want, or ask the funeral home for the general price list of available goods or services.
- Complete and sign the Application for Cremation at the funeral director’s office.
- The funeral director will let you know the date and time of the cremation. Decide who you would like to attend.
- The funeral home will collect the ashes and will keep it for you in a temporary container until you decide on an urn. Give instructions on what to do with, and who will be authorised to collect the ashes.
You will need to discuss a grave booking and location, and what you would like people to do at the grave. You can personalise this within limits, so don’t be afraid to share your ideas.
Discuss and decide which of the following you would like the funeral director to arrange and what you, your family and friends would take care of:
- Book a venue (place of worship, family home, retirement village, restaurant) and decide on the time of day – (this will affect your choice of catering and whether you will serve, for instance, a buffet, light meals or finger foods and coffee, tea, cold drinks or alcohol)
- Design and print hymn sheets, leaflets, portraits and memory books
- Decide on personal items and special memorabilia to display
- Arrange flowers and candles for coffin and venue
- Arrange petals or flowers to sprinkle on the grave
- Book a musician or organist
- Organise music, sound systems, projector presentations, video equipment.
- Make arrangements with the minister, pallbearers and people who would deliver eulogies, readings or tributes.
- Personalise the service with white pigeons, helium balloons or anything you would like to add to make the ceremony special and memorable.
Remember that the Funeral Director is an events planner and coordinator who would be able to assist with most of the above and more.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, all come from earth, and to earth all return.
Ashes to ashes,
dust to dust,
all come from earth,
and to earth all return.