What to do when someone dies
Natural Causes (Death as a result of illness, i.e. Heart Attack, Stroke, Cancer, etc.)
When someone dies in hospital
- Phone your appointed Funeral Director. (Contact us if the Deceased is in the Upington/Louisvale/Keimoes or Kakamas area.)
- If no storage facilities are available at the Hospital, your appointed Funeral Director might have to collect the Deceased from the ward.
- Hospital staff will arrange for a Medical Doctor to issue the Notification of Death (BI1663).
- If the Deceased is to be a cremated, please inform the Funeral Director, so that they can make arrangements for any additional documentation that is needed.
- Your Funeral Director will collect the Deceased and the Notification of Death (BI1663) from the Hospital.
- Please remember to collect any personal belongings from the Hospital.
- If the Deceased has been hospitalised as a result of Unnatural Causes, eg. a Motor Vehicle Accident, and subsequently passed away after a period of time (days/months/years), the death may NOT be considered to be as a result of “Natural Causes”.
- Death in an operating theatre, while still under local anaesthetics, is NOT considered to be a Natural Death (if the Deceased did not regain his/her consciousness after an operation).
- Death whilst having an epileptic fit, is NOT considered to be a Natural Death, even if the Deceased was under medical treatment for epilepsy.
When someone dies at home or in a nursing home
- If during working hours, the first contact should be with the Medical Doctor who last treated the Deceased.
- If satisfied with the Cause of Death, the Medical Doctor will agree to issue the Notification of Death (BI1663).
- Your appointed Funeral Director will collect the Notification of Death (BI1663) from the surgery.
- In the case of a Nursing Home death, their staff should liaise with the Medical Doctor.
- Contact us once you have informed the Medical Doctor, if the Deceased is in the Upington/Louisvale/Keimoes or Kakamas area.
- If death occurs during the night, it is not standard practice anymore for a Medical Doctor to do house calls after hours when someone passed away.
- If no foul play is suspected, your appointed Funeral Director may remove the Deceased and liaise with the Medical Doctor the next day.
When someone dies unexpectedly (Presumably from natural causes)
- Contact us as soon as possible if the Deceased is in the Upington/Louisvale/Keimoes or Kakamas area.
- We will advise on the procedures involved and liaise with the necessary authorities.
- Your appointed Funeral Director can give guidance and advice as far as possible to assist you.
- If the Deceased has not been under a Medical Doctor’s care on a regular basis, the emergency staff might get the Police involved, who will inform the relevant Forensic Pathology Services (if necessary).
- If the South African Police Services gives a Clearance Certificate that the deceased died from Natural Causes, your appointed Funeral Director may collect the Deceased.
- If Forensic Pathology Services is instructed to collect the Deceased, the Pathologist will decide if a Post Mortem is to be done to ascertain the Cause of Death.
- Jeudfra Begrafnisonderneming can also arrange for a Private Post Mortem to be done where someone has died from Natural Causes.
When someone dies away from home or abroad
- Contact us by phone or visit one of our branches and we can make all the necessary arrangements.
- Jeudfra Begrafnisonderneming is a registered Importer/Exporter and authorised to handle the Repatriation of Human Remains.
Unnatural Causes (Death as a result of other causes, eg. Motor Vehicle Accident, Murder, Suicide, Poisoning, Drowning, etc.)
When someone dies in hospital or nursing home
- Phone your appointed Funeral Director, who can give guidance and advice as far as possible to assist you.
- (Contact us if the Deceased is in the Upington/Louisvale/Keimoes or Kakamas area.)
- Hospital staff will contact the South African Police Services.
- Forensic Pathology Services will collect the Deceased.
- It is important not to remove any medical devices (eg. drips, needles, catheters, etc.). Leave everything intact, so as not to tamper with any evidence.
- A Post Mortem will be done by the Pathologist to ascertain the exact Cause of Death, whereafter they will issue the Notification of Death (BI1663).
- If the Deceased is to be a cremated, please inform the Funeral Director, so that they can make arrangements for any additional documentation that is needed.
- The Deceased will have to be identified by a family member/friend at Forensic Pathology Services.
- Please remember to take along your ID-Document (if you are doing the identification), as well as the ID-Document of the Deceased.
- The Forensic Pathology Services staff member will ask the person identifying the deceased to nominate a Funeral Director in writing.
- This form is to be provided to the Forensic Pathology Services to enable the Funeral Director to collect the Deceased.
- We recommend that you ask a friend to assist you with this task. Do not see this as an opportunity to pay your last respects or say your goodbyes.
- Jeudfra Begrafnisonderneming can assist families with the identification process, by accompanying the family member/friend to the Forensic Pathology Services as part of our services.
- Your Funeral Director will collect the Deceased and the Notification of Death (BI1663), as well as any additional documentation (if applicable), from the Forensic Pathology Services.
- Please remember to collect any personal belongings from Forensic Pathology Services/Investigating Officer.
- If the deceased has been hospitalised as a result of Unnatural Causes, eg. a Motor Vehicle Accident, and subsequently passed away after a period of time (days/months/years), the death might NOT be considered to be as a result of “Natural Causes”.
- Death in an operating theatre, while still under local anaesthetics, is considered to be an Unnatural Death.
- Death whilst having an epileptic fit, is considered to be an Unnatural Death, even if the Deceased was under treatment for epilepsy.
When someone dies at home
- Contact the South African Police Services (Flying Squad 10111 or your closest Police Station).
- The Police will send an Officer to take down the necessary statements.
- The Officer will liaise with the Detective on duty.
- The Detective will contact the Police Photographer and Forensic Pathology Services, who will collect the Deceased.
- Phone your appointed Funeral Director, who can give guidance and advice as far as possible to assist you.
- (Contact us if the deceased is in the Pretoria/Centurion/Midrand or surrounding areas.)
- It is important not to tamper with any forensic evidence on the scene.
- A Post Mortem will be done by the Forensic Pathologist to ascertain the exact Cause of Death, whereafter he/she will issue the Notification of Death (BI1663).
- If the Deceased is to be a cremated, please inform the Funeral Director, so that they can make arrangements for any additional documentation that is needed.
- The Deceased will have to be identified by a family member/friend at Forensic Pathology Services.
- We recommend that you ask a friend to assist you with this task. Do not see this as an opportunity to pay your last respects or say your goodbyes.
- Jeudfra Begrafnisonderneming can assist families with the identification process, by accompanying a family member/friend to the Forensic Pathology Services as part of our services.
- The Forensic Pathology Services staff member will ask the person identifying the Deceased to nominate a Funeral Director in writing.
- This form is to be provided to the Forensic Pathology Services to enable the Funeral Director to collect the Deceased.
- Your Funeral Director will collect the Deceased and the Notification of Death (BI1663), as well as additional documentation (if applicable), from the Forensic Pathology Services.
- Please remember to collect any personal belongings from Forensic Pathology Services/Investigating Officer.
- If the Deceased was involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident/Drowning Accident, etc. and left paralyzed/disabled and subsequently passed away after a period of time (days/months/years), the death could be considered to be as a result of “Unnatural Causes”.
- Death whilst having an epileptic fit, is considered to be an Unnatural Death, even if the deceased was under treatment for epilepsy.