Why has the bank frozen the account?

From the moment of death the money in those accounts belongs to the estate. The bank freezes them to protect it, usually the same day it is told.

What it means in practice:

• The bank freezes accounts in the deceased’s sole name as soon as it learns of the death. It makes no difference whether the family told the bank or the bank found out another way.
• Debit orders against those accounts will start to bounce. Insurers, medical aids and municipalities need to be told directly, and the medical aid is the one to tell first, because cover lapses quietly.
• The freeze does not lift because you are a spouse, a child, or even named in the Will. It lifts once the Master of the High Court issues the Letters appointing the person who may administer the estate. The bank’s deceased estates department must then process those Letters.

Certain payments, such as funeral costs, can sometimes be arranged from a frozen account with the bank’s deceased estates department. How that works is set out here.