Is heaven real? Is hell real? We can debate these topics until death occurs (the first to die will learn the facts). Is hell on earth real? This needs NO debate. We can easily leave hell on earth for those we love, if we don’t do things properly. And me – did I leave hell on earth? You’ll need to talk to my heirs.
ALSO READ : RIP Jay Pillay: Learning by Pretending to Die: Estates, wills, and lists – yes, LISTS
Finally, I can’t say I’ve tied it all up, if I don’t mention two things. Organ donation. Yes, if you die all too soon, why not allow for your healthy organs to be recycled, in the best possible way? If you are interested in donating organs (or tissue), please contact the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa on www.odf.org.za. The box below is an extract from the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS section of their website:
What about a bequest to your favourite charity or religious organisation? Should you want to do this, these are the steps to follow:
- Analyse what you own, and what you owe. You need to know what will be available at the time of your passing.
- Consider all your beneficiaries (individuals and organisations who will benefit), including the [NAME OF ORGANISATION].
- Decide on the nature of your bequest to [NAME OF ORGANISATION].
- Include an appropriate statement in your will that covers the bequest to [NAME OF ORGANISATION].
If you do this, then the beneficiary information you must include in your bequest is given here: Name of organisation, Physical address, and NPO registration number.
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Let’s step back a moment from all the details of preparing for death, to get a view of the big picture. There are companies whose business it is to wind up estates. They’ve been doing it for decades. Surely they should be best placed to give advice on what goes into your will? Surely they know how easy (or difficult) it may be to carry out your instructions, when you can’t speak for yourself? Surely they know the problems that may go on for generations, if you don’t give careful thought to deciding on who inherits what? I’m only asking.
In the next blog, I’m going to come back to life. And in somewhat more than an A4 page, I’m going to live my life once more.
Jay Pillay’s first two critical decades were spent where his first decade began – in Pietermaritzburg. After studying at ML Sultan Technikon in Durban (anyone remember that place?), he then joined the sugar industry, working in Tongaat, Durban, and Xinavane – a sugar mill village 120km north of Maputo. Oh yes – there was a brief period of unfaithfulness, when he flirted with aluminium in Richard’s Bay. Upon retirement, he and his wife Dorothy – settled in Southport.
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