South Africa Civil Registration

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South Africa

Civil Registration

Online Records

FamilySearch Online Collections

Indexes and Images

• 1861-1899 - Civil registration (marriages), Transvaal, 1861-1899 - index and images of marriage records for Transvaal
• 1895-1972 - South Africa, Cape Province, Civil Deaths, 1895-1972 - images and partial index of death records for Cape Province
• 1869-1954 South Africa, Transvaal, Civil Death, 1869-1954 - index and images of deaths for Transvaal. Further explanations for using these records
• 1870-1930 South Africa, Transvaal, Civil Marriages, 1870-1930 - index and images of marriages for Transvaal
• 1955-1966 - South Africa, Civil Death Registration, 1955-1966, index.

Indexes

• 1840-1973 - South Africa, Civil Marriage Records, 1840-1973 - index.

Images of Marriage Records

• 1861-1903 - Civil registration (marriages), Transvaal, 1861-1903 - images of marriage records for Transvaal
• 1956-1960 - Civil registration (marriages - blacks), South Africa & Southwest Africa (various locales), 1956-1960 - images of marriage records for South Africa
• 1902-1923 - Civil registration (marriages - coloureds), South Africa (various locales), 1902-1923 - images of marriage records for South Africa
• 1925-1960 - Civil registration (marriages - Indians and Chinese), South Africa, 1925-1960 - images of marriage records for South Africa
• 1956-1973 - Civil registration (marriages - whites, blacks and coloureds), South Africa (various locales), 1956-1973 - images of marriage records for South Africa
• 1956-1960 - Civil registration (marriages - whites, coloureds and Indians), South Africa and South West Africa, 1956-1960 - images of marriage records for South Africa and South West Africa
• 1696-1899 - Civil registration (marriages), Cape Province, 1696-1899 - images of marriage records for Cape Province

Images of Death Records

• 1869-1939 - Civil registration (death notices), South Africa, South West Africa, Rhodesia, Swaziland, etc., 1869-1939 - indexes and images of death notices for South West Africa
• 1895-1984 - Civil registration (deaths - whites, blacks, and coloureds), South Africa (various locales), 1895-1984 - images of death records for South Africa
• 1955-1966 - Civil registration (deaths), South Africa and South West Africa, 1955-1966 - images of death records for South Africa
• 1901-1903 - Burgher refugee camp death notices (South Africa), 1901-03 - images of mostly death notices (some births) from Burgher (i.e., Boer) 'refugee'/concentration camps at Vereeniging, Klerksdorp, and Irene, 1901-03

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:

Province	Births	Marriages	Deaths
Cape	1895	1700	1895
Natal	1868	1845	1888
Transvaal	1901	1870	1901
Orange Free State	1903	1848	1903
South-West Africa (Namibia)	1913	1908	1913

Coverage and Compliance

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

Information Recorded in the Records

Birth Records

Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is in charge of registering births. Contents: Unicef South Africa About the child:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Date of registration
• Place of occurrence
• Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.)
• Sex

About the mother:

• 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

About the father:

• 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:

• Permission to have banns called
• Register of permissions granted
• Names
• Ages
• Residence
• Written consent of parents
• Birthplace
• Religion
• Marital status
• Occupation of bridegroom

Location: Cape archives and magistrate’s offices where local matrimonial courts were held. Percentage in Family History Library: 100%. Population coverage: 75% of White population.

Death Records

Contents: Regarding the deceased:

• 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

Older records may be in Dutch and may include:

• 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

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.