Die departement van binnelandse sake verduidelik dat sterftes volgens die wet deur mediese praktisyns gesertifiseer en by die departement geregistreer moet word, voordat ’n begrafnis kan plaasvind. Wanneer die bepalings nie nagekom word nie, kan dit tot foute in die bevolkingsregister lei en nog boonop bedrog of identiteitsdiefstal moontlik maak.
Suid-Afrikaners het tot 15 Februarie kans gehad om kommentaar te lewer op die konsep-witskrif oor burgerskap, immigrasie en vlugtelingbeskerming. Die konsep-witskrif stel voor dat begrafnisse wat sonder vooraf registrasie van ’n sterfte plaasvind, as verdoeseling van dood beskou word. Tegelykertyd sal toegang tot die registrasieproses verbeter word deur die digitale ID-stelsel wat tans ontwikkel word, wat 24/7 aanlyn registrasie van ‘n sterfte moontlik sal maak. Diegene wat kommentaar gelewer het, word deur die departement bedank.
Kulturele en godsdienspraktyke wat ‘n onmiddellike begrafnis vereis, sal steeds gerespekteer word. In ‘n geval van so ‘n sterfte kan ’n mediese praktisyn die vorm DHA 1663 invul sodat die begrafnis kan voortgaan, met formele registrasie wat later voltooi word. Die doel is om bedrog te bekamp, die bevolkingsregister se integriteit te versterk en die doodsregistrasieproses makliker toeganklik te maak.
Lees die departement van binnelandse sake se volledige sosialemediaplasing hier onder:
The Department of Home Affairs expresses its appreciation to all South Africans who have taken the time to make inputs on the Draft Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection following the extension of the deadline to 15 February 2026. The Department further wishes to clarify a specific issue that has been raised in recent days in relation to the registration of deaths.
In terms of existing law, medical practitioners are required to certify death and handover the notice of death to Home Affairs for registration. Once such a notice has been issued, registration of the death at Home Affairs is required prior to burial taking place. Unfortunately, these provisions are not always complied with, resulting in inaccuracies in the population register, whereby persons who have died are still recorded as being alive. This opens the door to acts of fraud and identity theft, and undermines the integrity of the country’s civil registry.
In order to rectify this, the Draft Revised White Paper proposes that burials that take place without the prior registration of death be classified as concealment of death. To make compliance easier, the Department will also enhance access to this service through the Digital ID system that is currently under development, which will provide a digital channel to register deaths on a 24/7 basis.
The Department, however, wishes to emphasise that all of these proposals will be implemented in a manner that fully upholds cultural and religious practices requiring burial to take place immediately or shortly after death.
Currently, where immediate burial is required for cultural or religious reasons and a Home Affairs office is not open or available, a notice of death form (DHA 1663) is completed by a medical professional. This allows the burial to proceed, with formal registration completed once Home Affairs offices reopen. Going forward, this principle of accommodating the need for immediate burial will be fully retained and will also be extended to the digital channels under development.
Rather than limiting adherence to cultural and religious requirements, the Department aims to use these reforms to significantly enhance access to the death registration process.
Following the closure of the public comment period, the inputs made by the public on this and other proposals will be carefully considered as the White Paper is finalised. The wording of this specific proposal will be updated in the final version to avoid any misunderstanding. The Department assures all cultural and religious communities which require immediate burial in cases of death by natural causes, that this practice will be protected.
Home Affairs remains committed to delivering dignity for all, including by respecting and upholding cultural and religious practices, while combating fraud, enhancing the integrity of the population register, and ensuring compliance with legal prescripts.
