Choose burial or cremation
A funeral gives you the opportunity to honour, respect and remember your loved one who has passed on. A funeral can also be an important part of the healing process. Planning a funeral can be difficult as it can add more emotional and financial strain on you during your time of mourning.
It will be up to you and your family to choose a burial, cremation or ceremonial service. Alternatively, the Will may contain the deceased’s specific wishes related to the funeral. The type of funeral also depends on the cultural and religious beliefs of the deceased.
Cremations are generally more cost effective than traditional burial funerals, but it all depends on what you decide for the ceremony.
Your undertaker will help you to take care of all the arrangements, such as:
- Date
- Time
- Venue of the cremation
- If you would want to scatter the remains in your place of choosing
- Or bury the remains in a niche site or grave.
A niche memorial is a small space where the urn is placed, and a plaque is then placed over it.
Most cemeteries and crematoriums offer a cremation facility from around R7,000. A private cremation can cost around R5,000 while a chapel cremation starts at around R9,000.
All cremations require that you complete a “Schedule A” form. This will be sent to the crematorium for permission to cremate. An attending doctor and a medical referee will then sign off further schedules so the cremation can take place.
There is an extra cost (around R600) to get a cremation form from a doctor.
There are strict laws in place for cremations. It is comforting to know that you will receive only the ashes of your loved one, and not the ashes of anyone else.
Types of cremation:
Attended cremation
The deceased is brought in a coffin/casket to the funeral service (church/venue). Afterwards, the deceased is taken in the coffin/casket to the crematorium. After the cremation takes place the remains of the deceased are given to the family in an urn or an ash box.
Unattended cremation
The funeral service (church/venue) is held, but the deceased and the coffin/casket is not present. The cremation may have already taken place, with the deceased’s remains handed to the family in an urn or an ash box.
* Costs are estimate figures for planning purposes only