At the time of writing, nearly 90 000 South Africans have already died from Covid-19. It is therefore important to cover you and your loved ones for any potential deaths in the family as a result of the pandemic.
When someone dies, there are suddenly a lot of expenses that you or your family may not have the money for, like the costs of the funeral parlour, the casket, the burial, groceries, travel and accommodation.
A basic funeral costs about R10 000, but it could cost as much as R100 000. Without a funeral plan, you or your family will have to pay for everything, which could add more stress to an already difficult time. This could also mean that you or your family might run into debt, which should always be avoided.
Remember that if you take out a funeral plan now to protect yourself and your family in the pandemic, you have to wait the standard six months (the waiting period) before any payout can be made. This is because a Covid-19-related death is not considered an accident, but a natural death. (There is no waiting period if a death was caused by an accident.)
After the waiting period, the normal claims process applies: You submit a claim and provide the following documents:
- The death certificate
- The IDs of the deceased and the beneficiary
- The beneficiary’s or the policyholder’s bank statement or a bank confirmation letter of the account into which the funds will be paid
- The BI-1663 form completed by a medical practitioner
- The police report if the death was caused by an accident
Sanlam pays most valid funeral claims in just 4 hours after receiving all the claim documents. This means that, when a loved one dies as a result of Covid-19, you can immediately make the necessary arrangements to give them a dignified send-off.
Sanlam is a Licensed Financial Services Provider. Terms and conditions apply. Excludes Sanlam Employee Benefits Funeral Insurance.
SMS* “Goodbyes” to 30862 and one of our consultants will call you. *SMSs are free.
