Funeral parlours in Cape Town: how to choose and what the City charges

• Shortlist two or three parlours and ask each for a written, itemised quote.
• Confirm they can collect the deceased and hold the funeral where you need it, including a burial in another province.
• Ask who underwrites any funeral plan they sell, and whether that insurer is licensed.
• See the coffin range and ask what is included and what costs extra.
• Ask family, your place of worship or your community for names they have actually used, then check the parlour yourself.

These are adult fees from the City's 2025/26 cemetery tariffs, published on the City of Cape Town Open Data Portal in October 2025. Amounts include VAT.

A public grave is a shared grave that may be used for another unrelated person after a minimum of 5 years, and no headstones are allowed, only crosses. A private monumental grave carries full monumental rights, but the right to later burials depends on depth and soil conditions and is not guaranteed.

These are the City's fees only. The coffin, transport, the parlour's own fees, a tent, catering and a headstone are extra. We have not checked child fees or other grave types, so ask the City for its full schedule.

1Life, an insurer, estimates that a whole funeral costs R35 000 to R45 000 on average with a municipal burial plot, and more than R50 000 with a private memorial park. It says an adult municipal plot costs R2 000 to R11 000, depending on the cemetery and whether the deceased lived in that municipality.

That is a national estimate from an insurer, not a Cape Town price list. The gap between the City's grave fee and the final total is the parlour's service, the coffin, transport, catering and extras, which is why the itemised quote matters.

We name a business below only where its own site or a source we checked places it in Cape Town or the Western Cape. Others operate here too. Call the branch nearest you to confirm it can serve your address.

• AVBOB: says aquamation, a water-based cremation, is currently available only at AVBOB in Cape Town and Pretoria.
• Kings and Queens: lists a Cape Town branch in Bellville. Its site names no insurer, so ask who underwrites its policies.
• Nyaradzo: lists an office at Belgravia, Cape Town. Its South African offering is a plan for Zimbabweans living in South Africa who want repatriation to Zimbabwe.
• Doves: says it has branches in all 9 provinces. Its funeral insurance is underwritten by African Unity Life.
• Martin's Funerals: says it has representation in all 9 provinces, and its branch locator lists George and Mossel Bay. Branches are franchises, so each one runs its own service.
• Icebolethu: lists the Western Cape among the provinces where it has branches. Its insurer is RMA Life Assurance Company.

Many Cape Town families bury elsewhere. Ask each parlour for the transport cost to the burial place in writing, and whether it does the trip itself or hands over to another firm.

Martin's says transport of the deceased is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. AVBOB policyholders whose policy has been in force for at least 24 months and who use AVBOB Funeral Service get free transport of the deceased within South Africa as part of its free funeral benefits. For a burial in Zimbabwe, see Nyaradzo above.

Whichever parlour you use, the death has to be registered with Home Affairs before the burial or cremation. Home Affairs says the notice of death must be given within 72 hours by a family member, or by a representative the family appoints with a letter of authority. The law says no burial may take place without a burial order, and it counts cremation as burial, so the same rule applies if you choose cremation.

An abridged death certificate is issued free of charge on the day the death is registered. A good parlour will explain the forms, but ask exactly which steps it handles and which ones you must do yourself.

If the death was not from natural causes, the police investigate first. The burial order is issued only after the body is no longer needed for that investigation.

• Is the full quote in writing and itemised, and what is extra?
• Can you collect the deceased and hold the funeral where I need it, and what does transport cost?
• Do you sell funeral cover? Which licensed insurer underwrites it, and what is your FSP number?
• What is the waiting period? For natural death it cannot be longer than six months, and no waiting period may apply to death from an accident.
• What documents does a claim need, and when will the insurer decide? The insurer must decide within two business days of receiving all the documents. That is a deadline for a decision, not for the money to arrive.

Ask the City of Cape Town whether it has any help for families who cannot afford a burial. We could not verify a scheme, so do not assume one exists. A public grave is the lowest of the burial fees in the table above. Other sources of money to check:

• Government employees: the Government Employees Pension Fund pays a taxable lump sum of R20 000 towards the funeral of a member, pensioner or spouse, and R8 000 for an eligible child, where the death was after 31 March 2024. It does not pay the undertaker directly.
• SASSA: there is no separate funeral grant. If the person's grant was not withdrawn in the month of death, the family member who paid for the funeral can claim the unclaimed amount with the death certificate, both IDs and the funeral invoice and receipt. SASSA pays only that amount. Social Relief of Distress, for a maximum of three months, can apply where the breadwinner has died and you apply within 12 months.
• Road accident deaths: the Road Accident Fund refunds listed funeral costs after the family has paid. It does not cover catering, flowers, a tombstone, family transport, programmes, vigil expenses or hiring chairs and tents.
• Burial societies and stokvels: many families spread the cost this way. Read our guide to burial societies and check the arrangement is lawful before you rely on it.

You are entitled to a clear, itemised quote in writing, and you can turn down extras you do not want. A parlour that sells funeral cover needs a licensed insurer carrying the risk and must itself be an authorised financial services provider. A parlour that only provides funeral services needs no financial-sector authorisation, so you can ask for the service without buying its cover.

To check a provider, the FSCA asks the public to make sure the FSP number matches the name on its database. Its toll-free number is 0800 110 443.

If a funeral policy claim is declined or delayed, first take it up with the insurer, then complain to the National Financial Ombud. The service is free to you. Call 0860 800 900, email [email protected] or lodge the complaint at nfosa.co.za. Keep your policy document, the quote and the claim documents.