City meets with funeral service providers

“The story of a human being does not begin when they are born or end when they die, but it continues even after death,” said Ekurhuleni executive mayor, Clr Mondli Gungubele as he addressed the annual undertakers’ forum on Wednesday in Germiston.

The forum sought to address key issues experienced by funeral undertakers, and outlined the strides made by the Ekurhuleni municipality to provide efficient funeral services to the people by working together with the Ekurhuleni South African Funeral Practitioners Association (SAFPA).

Pertinent challenges highlighted during the forum were the shortage of burial space, vandalism and theft of tombstones in most cemeteries, illegal burials at the unknown cemeteries, maladministration and emergency burials not following the cemetery and crematorium by-laws.

The mayor told the undertakers that it is important to always view themselves as an integral part of human history.

“It is important not to distort history as it is part of our heritage. You are involved in an important business of preserving human life posthumously.”

The funeral service providers unanimously raised their concern on the burning issue of the stringent municipal by-laws, shortage of burial space and storage facility as well as maladministration at cemeteries.

Thabo Banda owns the Khulana Funeral Undetakers based in Katlehong and he is also a chairperson of SAFPA. He said, “Over the years we have been working with the municipality in the service of burying people with dignity; however, we feel that some of our challenges are not taken up with urgency.”

“In Ekurhuleni particularly our general challenge is the shortage of storage facility for dead bodies. We earnestly urge our government to assist us with the provision of land for building a communal storage facility,” pleaded Banda.

Over the past three years the City has not increased the burial tariffs, so that residents can have access to affordable services without compromising their dignity in the process.

Indigent burial tariffs remain the same as cremation tariffs at an all-time low of R500 despite the ever increasing oil prices.

In conclusion, Clr Gungubele spoke sternly against the issue of vandalism in cemeteries.

“It is disturbing to note that the issue of vandalism is perpetrated mainly by people who buy illegal graves thus undermining the story of the people buried in that space. I therefore urge the association to work with the municipality in being the custodians of these facilities for the benefit of our people.”