South Africa Civil Registration

Birth and Death Records

 * 1840-1972 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriages

 * 1696-1899 Civil registration (marriages), Cape Province, 1696-1899 at FamilySearch Catalog- images of marriage records for Cape Province
 * 1840-1973 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1845-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1903 Civil registration (marriages), Transvaal, 1861-1903 at FamilySearch Catalog - images of marriage records for Transvaal
 * 1870-1930 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1902-1923 Civil registration (marriages - coloureds), South Africa (various locales), 1902-1923 at FamilySearch Catalog- images of marriage records for South Africa
 * 1925-1960 Civil registration (marriages - Indians and Chinese), South Africa, 1925-1960 at FamilySearch Catalog- images of marriage records for South Africa
 * 1956-1960 Civil registration (marriages - blacks), South Africa & Southwest Africa (various locales), 1956-1960 at FamilySearch Catalog- images of marriage records for South Africa
 * 1956-1960 Civil registration (marriages - whites, coloureds and Indians), South Africa and South West Africa, 1956-1960 at FamilySearch Catalog- images of marriage records for South Africa and South West Africa
 * 1956-1973 Civil registration (marriages - whites, blacks and coloureds), South Africa (various locales), 1956-1973 at FamilySearch Catalog- images of marriage records for South Africa

Death Records

 * 1869-1939 Civil registration (death notices), South Africa, South West Africa, Rhodesia, Swaziland, etc., 1869-1939 at FamilySearch Catalog - indexes and images of death notices for South West Africa
 * 1869-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1895-1984 Civil registration (deaths - whites, blacks, and coloureds), South Africa (various locales), 1895-1984 at FamilySearch Catalgo - images of death records for South Africa
 * 1901-1903 Burgher refugee camp death notices (South Africa), 1901-03 at FamilySearch Catalog- images of mostly death notices (some births) from Burgher (i.e., Boer) 'refugee'/concentration camps at Vereeniging, Klerksdorp, and Irene, 1901-03
 * 1955-1966 Civil registration (deaths), South Africa and South West Africa, 1955-1966 at FamilySearch Catalog - images of death records for South Africa
 * 1955-1966 at FamilySearch   - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Offices to Contact
Department of Home Affairs
 * The Registrar, Births, Marriages and Deaths Department of Home Affairs Sentrakor Building, 173 Pretorius Street Pretoria 0001, South Africa Postal Address: Private Bag X114 Pretoria 0001 Tel.: 012-3148109 E-mail hacc@dha.gov.za

What is very important to remember with regard to genealogical research is that as a rule none of the records created by the Department of Home Affairs would ever be transferred to the National Archives Repository. In terms of their legislation they would keep such records with them and they even have an archives for those records that they do not need on a day to day basis anymore. The National Archives Repository has no access to or control over this archives. The kind of records that they would keep would include Birth-, Marriage- and Death Registers, Identity documents, passports, information about persons home addresses, etc.

Historical Background
The following table lists the approximate commencement dates for registering births, marriages, and deaths:

Births
The legal informants for a birth are parents, guardian, or any other person legally responsible for the child. Requirements for birth registration:
 * Identification of the child’s father
 * Identification of the child’s mother
 * Forenames and surname of the childUnicef South Africa

Marriages
Legal age for marriage is 18 years for both sexes. Exemptions: Girls under 18 years but older than 15 years need parental consent to marry; girls under age 15 need the consent of the Minister of Home Affairs. Unicef South Africa

Deaths
No specific requirement concerning who should register a death, can be a traditional leader in rural areas.

Requirements for death registration:
 * Medical death certificate
 * Identification card
 * Date of death
 * Age at death
 * Birth certificate for a minor Unicef South Africa

Birth Records
Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is in charge of registering births. Contents: Unicef South Africa About the child: About the mother: About the father:
 * Name
 * Date of birth
 * Date of registration
 * Place of occurrence
 * Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.)
 * Sex
 * Date of birth or age
 * Marital status
 * Ethnicity
 * Educational attainment
 * Place/country of birth
 * Children born alive to the mother during her entire lifetime
 * Birth order parity
 * Date of last previous live birth
 * Date of marriage
 * Date of birth or age
 * Marital status
 * Ethnicity
 * Educational attainment
 * Place/country of birth
 * Acknowledgment of paternity in regard to a child born out of wedlock

Marriage Records
Marriage records are also very valuable in South African genealogical research. Marriage records provide the following information:
 * Date when the marriage occurred
 * Full names, marital status (single or widowed) and places of birth for both the bride and groom
 * Full names, and places of birth for the parents of the bride and groom

Matrimonial court records
Helpful for pedigree linkage because of additional information given on the registers. Also includes information on marriages not recorded in the parish register, especially when the parish register is missing. They may also give an indication of the actual marriage place which otherwise could not be found without extensive searching.

Marriage records of banns
Time period: 1794 to 1906. Contents: Location: Cape archives and magistrate’s offices where local matrimonial courts were held. Percentage in FamilySearch Library: 100%. Population coverage: 75% of White population.
 * Permission to have banns called
 * Register of permissions granted
 * Names
 * Ages
 * Residence
 * Written consent of parents
 * Birthplace
 * Religion
 * Marital status
 * Occupation of bridegroom

Death Records
Contents: Regarding the deceased: Older records may be in Dutch and may include: Reliability: Very good.The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Southern Africa,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1987-1998.
 * Name
 * Sex
 * Date of birth or age
 * Marital status
 * Place of usual residence
 * Date of death
 * Date of registration
 * Place of occurrence
 * Place of registration
 * Cause of death
 * Certifier
 * Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.) Unicef South Africa
 * Name
 * Birth place
 * Names of parents
 * Age
 * Profession
 * Marriage status
 * Date of death
 * Place of death
 * Whether there is a will
 * Whether left moveable or inmoveable property
 * Is the estate above L25
 * Name of children