Planning for a funeral is very stressful. It's emotionally draining especially if you are arranging it while you are grieving. Below we've made the process a little easier for you. Here's a list of things to consider when planning a funeral:
1. Report the death to the Department of Home Affairs at hacc@dha.gov.za or their contact centre at 0800 60 1190, or alternatively, the funeral parlour will register the death for you. You will then need to receive a death certificate because you can’t do much without it and the policies won’t payout.
2. Contact a reputable funeral parlour to help you arrange the funeral and if the deceased had a will stating their wishes it's best to inform the parlour about it. The funeral parlour can also assist you should you need to repatriate the deceased across borders but this also depends on which funeral parlour you contact.
3. Immediately locate the deceased ID smartcard or green barcoded ID book for insurance or funeral policy claims.
4. If you’re married you will also need to present a valid marriage certificate.
5. Choose a suitable coffin or urn and decide what you want to write on it and choose a flower arrangement to go with it if you want to do an unveiling of the tombstone on the same day as the funeral.
6. Should your or the deceased's wishes have been for burial, then it’s essential to nominate pallbearers to carry the coffin prior to the funeral services, this is usually done by close friends or family.
7. Inform your or the deceased spiritual or cultural leader to provide emotional and spiritual support during this time of mourning. They will also need to be informed of the venue, date, and time of burial to help organise the funeral service.
8. Decide how your loved one will be laid to rest. If you need burial space – the parlour can also assist you with getting in touch with the municipality for the availability of the site. They will also assist if there are any special requirements like burying them with someone. However, should you wish to cremate the deceased then the funeral parlour will inform the crematorium.
9. Determine the number of people that will be in attendance at the funeral service, wake, memorial service and/or night vigil. With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions you can have more people but also remember that the people in attendance need to be catered for.
10. Arrange food and beverages according to the number of attendees.
11. Organise transport for funeral guests to head to the venue of the funeral service and cemetery or crematorium.
12. If you need one, you might have to hire a tent and chairs to accommodate your guests.
13. Draft a funeral programme and obituary. You should decide on who will speak on the day and write the obituary (e.g. family, friends, colleagues etc.).
14. Think about making an announcement in the local newspaper or radio station and decide whether you want to add the obituary to the newspaper. This is to notify people who had a relationship with the deceased that you may not be aware of.
The tasks may seem like a lot of work but it will you give an opportunity to honour your loved ones and give them a dignified farewell. Remove the unexpected financial burden and stress by getting a funeral cover to pay for these costs.
Did you know that purchasing a funeral product from us is super easy?
Visit our product overview page and request a Call Me Back or follow the prompts to purchase a funeral product online. Some of our products can also be bought using WhatsApp or USSD.
You can buy via WhatsApp:
- Save 0860 933 333 as a contact on your phone
- Open WhatsApp, go to the Old Mutual contact and send ‘Hi’ as a message
- Follow the messages on the screen and choose your option
You can buy via USSD
- Simply dial *120*OMSA# or *120*6672#.
- Using this service is free for customers.
- No airtime or data costs will apply for users who dial us with an active sim card on Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Cell C networks
This content does not constitute advice. Should you need financial advice please contact your financial adviser or find an adviser here.