Register a death

The person who registers the death is formally known as the 'the informant'. Only relatives or certain other individuals are qualified by law to register a death. This will also depend on where the death occurred.

Most deaths are registered by a family member or one of the following people:

• a relative of the deceased, present at the death;
• a relative of the deceased, in attendance during the last illness;
• a relative of the deceased, residing or being in the sub-district where the death occurred; in the case of an out of district declaration, the relative is deemed to be in the sub-district where the death took place at the time of giving the information for the declaration;
• a person present at the death;
• the occupier of the house if he/she knew that the death had happened;
• any inmate of the house if he/she knew that the death had happened;or
• the person causing the burial or cremation of the body