Recently, I have been reminded how essential it is to ensure that the death certificate information is absolutely correct. In the book I gave an example of where it had the incorrect date of death creating problems with Medical Aid payment. When a new, corrected death certificate has to be obtained, it is the family who has to pay for the new certificate even though the mistake is made by the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA).
What has come to my attention a few times is the marital status of the deceased. A person who has been widowed, even for a length of time has a death certificate produced stating the marital status as married. This causes problems with insurance pay-outs, status of child heirs and various other issues. I have now discovered the likely reason for this error as a gentleman whose wife died recently. He was told that he must go to the DoHA to have his record changed to that of widowed. It would seem that the DoHA does not have synchronisation of the ID numbers of a married couple. We shy away from visiting the Department due to the long queues but, in this instance, it really is advisable to get this information updated as soon as possible. If you are over the age of 60 you have the advantage that you will be taken to the front of the queue at most offices.
The death certificate is the most important document that you will receive as it is required by company or office you or your Executor has to submit documents or make applications. These days most undertakers make up to a dozen certified copies, a great help to the family.