AVBOB | File Of Life

1. Register the death  The funeral director will report the death to the Department of Home Affairs.  The following documents will be required: - ID document of deceased - ID document of applicant/informant - DHA1663 form, signed by a medical practitioner, applicant/informant and funeral director, as well as the fingerprints of the deceased and informant 2. Administration of estate Compile a file of life. Update it regularly and make sure it consists of all the documents as discussed. Following your death, your family/loved ones should hand this file to the executor for the finalisation of the estate. They must remember to add the death certificate and invoice from the funeral director. # Use the checklist – See Annexure 7. The executor of the estate will present the required documents to the Master of the High Court. On receipt of the executor’s letter, all the relevant institutions will be informed about the death. In addition, the executor will place advertisements in the local newspaper as well as in the Government Gazette, to inform your creditors about your death. The executor should, within a six-month period, return a distribution and liquidation account to the High Court for approval to finalise the estate, on condition that notices have been published regarding any objections against the distribution and liquidation accounts. This process can take months, if not years, if there is outstanding documentation. In the case of a small estate (maximum of R125 000), the executor can report the estate to the Office of the Master of the Court.  Possible problems during the administration of the estate include: - No will - No executor has been appointed - The appointed executor is not a legal executor of estates or is not recognised as such by the Master of the High Court - Incomplete documentation  Social Media: A copy of the death certificate should be forwarded to Facebook, for example, with a request to change the deceased’s Facebook profile into a “Memorial Page”. 3. Ways in which you can assist yourself and others during the process of loss and grief It is human to experience a feeling of shock, sadness, anger, loss of security, depression, denial and other emotions when someone close to us passes away or when a marriage/relationship ends. It is also normal to feel overwhelmed during this time of loss. It is difficult to ease your pain or to find the appropriate words to comfort someone else.  How to work through your own sadness after the loss of a loved one and support others. # See Annexure 6 – Grieving process. C. AFTER THE FUNERAL