African Bank Funeral Cover

The plan pays a cash benefit when an insured person dies. Guardrisk Life Limited is the insurer. African Bank sells the plan and earns commission as the intermediary.

The product page says cover goes up to R100 000 for the main member and spouse, and up to R50 000 for children, parents, in-laws or extended family. You can apply online or ask for a call back. African Bank also has separate group employee and foreign national funeral plans, which this page does not cover.

• The plan is underwritten by Guardrisk Life Limited; African Bank is the intermediary. (africanbank.co.za (archived copy))
• Cover goes up to R100 000 for the main member and spouse, and parents up to 85 and extended family up to 75 can be covered. (africanbank.co.za (archived copy))
• Natural death has a 6-month waiting period from inception; accidental death has none if the first premium is paid. (africanbank.co.za (archived copy))
• Suicide in the first 12 months is excluded. (africanbank.co.za (archived copy))
• Claims should be reported within 6 months of the death and are paid within 2 business days of approval once documents are complete; if rejected, representations can be made within 90 days. (africanbank.co.za (archived copy))
• Claim documents can be uploaded on the African Bank website, e-mailed to the funeral claims address, or handed in at a branch. (africanbank.co.za (archived copy))
• The policy lapses after 3 consecutive unpaid premiums and can be reinstated in writing within 2 months of lapsing. (africanbank.co.za (archived copy))

Plans as African Bank describes them on its own website on 30 September 2026. Premiums depend on your age, the cover amount and who you add, so the published figures are examples, not quotes.

Extra benefits African Bank lists:

• Funeral cover as advertised on the product page: Call Me Back and online Apply Now; separate group employee and foreign national funeral plans exist.

Sources: africanbank.co.za (archived copy).

Checked on 30 September 2026 against African Bank's official website (some details from an archived copy of it, because the live site could not be read from our checks). Numbers change, so confirm on the linked page before you call. African Bank will never ask you to pay a claim fee or send money to a new bank account; if a caller does, hang up and phone the official number.

Sources: africanbank.co.za (archived copy), africanbank.co.za (archived copy).

You can cover the main member, a spouse or partner, children, parents or parents-in-law and extended family. The limits depend on age. Children can be covered to age 21, or to 25 if they are full-time students. Parents can be covered up to age 85 and extended family up to age 75.

The cover for a younger child or relative can be lower than the cover for an older one. African Bank's product page and its policy wording do not describe the child limits in exactly the same way, so ask for the amount for each person on your policy schedule before you pay. Premiums depend on the cover amount, the ages and the people you add. The funeral calculator on the product page gives an estimate.

Natural death has a 6 month waiting period from the start of the policy. Accidental death has none, as long as the first premium is paid. Suicide in the first 12 months is excluded.

If the policy lapses after three consecutive unpaid premiums, you can ask in writing for it to be reinstated within 2 months. South African rules say a policy that an insurer reinstates after a lapse must be on at least the same terms and may not carry a new waiting period. Our page on funeral cover with no waiting period explains more.

African Bank asks for a completed claim form, which you can get at any branch or on its website. You also need:

• a certified copy of the deceased's ID and of the death certificate
• the DHA1663 notice of death form
• for a main member claim, a certified copy of the beneficiary's ID and a copy of the beneficiary's bank statement showing the beneficiary's physical address
• for a claim on another adult on the policy, a certified copy of the main member's ID and a copy of the main member's bank statement
• for a child claim, a certified copy of the main member's ID and the child's birth certificate if under 18, or for a stillbirth
• a police report where the cause of death is under investigation or is related to suicide

The policy wording says African Bank pays within 2 business days of approving a valid claim, once all the documents are in. The insurer may investigate longer. The rules say an insurer must decide a funeral claim within 2 business days of receiving all documents. You can send documents by WhatsApp on 060 012 3716, but that number is for document uploads only, not for sales or claims chat.

Ask for the reason in writing. The policy wording says you can make representations within 90 days if a claim is rejected. Common reasons are a claim inside the waiting period, a late report, unpaid premiums or missing documents. An insurer may not refuse a funeral claim because you did not disclose something it never asked about.

If you are still unhappy, complain to the National Financial Ombud on 0860 800 900 or at nfosa.co.za. It is free, and complaints can be dismissed after three years. See our guide to funeral cover scams and your rights.

It suits someone who wants higher cover for a couple and the option to add parents up to age 85, and who is happy to use a calculator and a call back instead of a published price. The trade-offs are the short 6 month reporting window for claims and the need to check the newer policy wording.

Compare with Capitec, Nedbank and Absa before you decide.