Answer to a question from a reader

Where can KZN police claim their pension fund?

The whole question

My brother was a policeman in KwaZulu-Natal. Where can we claim his pension fund?

The long answer

Thank you for your email asking where you can claim the pension fund of your late brother who was a policeman in KwaZulu-Natal.

As a policeman, he would have belonged to the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF). As a member of the GEPF he would have nominated beneficiaries on the Nomination of Beneficiaries form (WP1002). That means he would have given the names of his dependants and anyone else he wanted to give a share in his pension benefit, and at what percentage of the benefit.

Your brother would have handed in the nomination form to the human resources department, along with supporting documents like certified copies of the beneficiaries’ IDs and birth certificates. 

If he died in service or within five years after he retired, his beneficiaries would be entitled to a lump-sum payment, and GEPF would pay a monthly spouse’s pension to his wife if he died in service, or at any point after he retired. If there were dependent children that he did not put down on his nomination form, GEPF has the power to include them as beneficiaries.

If he did not nominate any beneficiaries and he had dependants, you could contact the GEPF and give them your full name and contact details and your brother’s pension number and ID.

If his benefits have not been claimed for longer than 24 months, they are called Unclaimed Benefits and moved into a separate account. If you are a beneficiary and want to claim these benefits, you will need the following documents:

  • Your brother’s death certificate

  • A certified copy of your ID (not older than six months)

  • A completed Banking Details Z894 form (from GEPF)

  • A Guardian letter in the case of minor beneficiaries

  • A certified copy of the guardian’s ID.

There are walk-in offices for the GEPF at these two addresses in KwaZulu-Natal:

3rd Floor Brasfort House 

262 Langalibalele Street

Pietermaritzburg

OR

The Durban satellite office:

8th Floor Salmon Grove Chambers

407 Anton Lembede Street

(Smith St) 

Durban

You can also contact GEPF on their toll-free number: 0800 117 669.

Email: enquiries@gepf.co.za 

Website: www.gepf.co.za

Answered on Nov. 24, 2020, noon

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Please note. We are not lawyers or financial advisors. We do our best to make the answers accurate, but we cannot accept any legal liability if there are errors.