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The funeral service has refuted the allegations
Picture: X/@DovesFunerals
A Vanderbijlpark family was left traumatised at the alleged mistreatment of their deceased loved one by Doves Funeral Services.
The recent death of 74-year-old Elsa Botes left those close to her heartbroken. They told The Citizen that her final send-off was anything but peaceful.
The family said they requested the help of Doves to organise a funeral service, viewing of the deceased, and cremation.
On the day of the church service, the family claimed that the hearse arrived late for the funeral service.
At the viewing, Elsa’s body was reportedly wrapped in plastic, her mouth and left eye were both open, her hair was not combed, and no makeup was applied.
“The viewing of my mother’s body was extremely disappointing, traumatic, and heartbreaking. It was clear that Doves’ staff had not shown any respect in the way my mother’s body was handled,” said Botes’ daughter, Louise Caldwell.
“I cannot put into words what I saw in that coffin. It’s sad that Doves knew the body would be viewed on the day, and they have chosen to send it out in this condition.”
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Doves manager responds
However, this was disputed by Lebohang Rasenyalo, the Vanderbijlpark branch manager of Doves.
Rasenyalo acknowledged the complaints by the family and said she had apologised to Botes’ husband but was verbally assaulted by his daughter, whom she claimed made racial slurs towards her.
“I know when people are dissatisfied, the emotions run high. I explained to her [the daughter] that, despite the wrong being done, I need to investigate and come back to her. I asked her to send me the complaint in writing, but she told me to shove my apology and hung up.”
Rasenyalo told The Citizen that the family had asked only for a simple cremation service reserved for close relatives.
“Later on in the week, they tell me that they want a church service before the cremation. They want their loved one to be in a church.
“ I said, ‘but you didn’t pay for this service’. Nevertheless, because they had a policy with us, I kept them as a client,” she said.
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Rasenyalo said she had explained to the family that the deceased’s eyes tend to open when rolling back.
“But the mouth that was open, that was very unnecessary, it was wrong. I admitted. I said, if that’s the case, I apologise,” she explained.
She said the circumstances around the other allegations, including the late arrival of the body and the claims of it being wrapped in plastic, were being investigated.
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Cremation chaos
The family further claimed that Botes was supposed to be cremated on Monday, 14 July, but it did not happen due to incorrect documentation on Doves’ end.
“[We] requested to see the body prior to cremation and found it in the exact same position as on the day of the funeral. Doves further said there will be an additional charge to view the body,” the family said.
However, documents seen by The Citizen confirm that the deceased’s ashes were collected on Monday.
“ The deceased was in a decent condition when she went for a cremation, the husband and the son were there,” Rasenyalo said.
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