WHEN registering a sudden and violent death, the first step involves;
Contacting the nearest police station to report the event of the death.
A post mortem or autopsy must be conducted to determine the cause of death.
The Police Officer present at the post mortem will issue the order for burial. The order for burial (Burial Order) in the case of a sudden and violent death allows the family to go ahead and bury the deceased but it is not proof of registration nor is it a death certificate.
If no 'foul play' is suspected then the post mortem report should be presented to the RGD for the Registration of the death to be carried out using the Post Mortem Report.
If the matter is brought to the coroners court the certificate of coroner (Form D) should be received from the coroner's courts and taken to the Registrar General's Department Head Office or any RGD Regional Office, whichever is more accessible to the customer to complete the Registration process.
The RGD will conduct a search to ensure that the registration was not previously done, this is necessary to prevent double registration. If it is discovered that the event was not previously registered the RGD will issue an authority for the registration, this is to be taken by the family member to the Local District Registrar in the district the death occurred. The family member will provide information for the death registration record as well as sign as informant.
After this is completed the family can proceed to apply for a certified copy of the death certificate.
Source: Registrar General Department
