Cape Town – South Africans and funeral insurance company Avbob have stepped in to assist a struggling Mfuleni teenager to bury her mother.
This came after a video of Nontando Kammies, 16, pleading for help to bury her mother, went viral on social media last week.
Her mother, Christelien Kammies, died in July and could not be buried because of a lack of funds.
The family needed R10 000 for her body to be released from the mortuary.
After months of trying to find solutions, Mfuleni Community Policing Forum member Mavuso Gqola told his friend Nosipho Mkoko about the family’s plight.
Mkoko came up with the idea of doing a video of Kammies calling for the public to assist.
The video was posted on Twitter.
Mkoko asked her friend, Zuki Lamani, who is an influencer, to retweet the video.
Within a day, the video had 436 retweets.
A number of NGOs assisted by donating food and vegetables.
The family has so far raised R9227.11 through public donations.
AVBOB has promised to provide a comprehensive basic funeral, which includes all the undertaking services, the provision of a hearse as well as family transport, coffin and use of its facilities and equipment.
AVBOB spokesperson Marius du Plessis said the services were worth about R20000.
Kammies’ guardian, Gloria Njabada, said they were overwhelmed by the support.
She said the issue was destroying her psychologically but she had no idea where to ask for help and survives on a social grant.
The burial will be tomorrow.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/AVBOBSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AVBOBSAwill conduct the funeral of this 16-year-old’s mother at no cost to her family. We are pleading with all South Africans to continue the donation drive to assist her grandmother with other expenses. Details: https://t.co/pwSPLKmqQs @mkoko_nosipho pic.twitter.com/qOmQ4v3TdL
— AVBOB South Africa (@AVBOBSA)
Funds are now currently R1376,60 Thank you SA ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾 https://t.co/HxCtfaudol
— 🌺💞Ndingu Nosie My baby😜💖 (@nosipho_mkoko) October 14, 2019