Durban - Despite being visited by President Cyril Ramaphosa three weeks ago, following the recent floods, the Mkhize family in Clermont, Durban, have not received any compensation to bury their loved ones.
In Clermont, the United Methodist Church of Southern Africa collapsed during heavy rains, which resulted in a home with several rented rooms being flooded. Four members of the Mkhize and Sokhela families died. They were Nhlanhla Mkhize, 28, Olwethu Sokhela, 12, Luyanda Sokhela, 16, and Lwazi Sokhela, 14.
Ramaphosa promised the head of the household, Gerald Mkhize, 68, that he would receive assistance speedily through local government structures.
But three weeks have passed, and some families who lost loved ones because of the floods have not received any compensation for the funerals.
On Thursday, Mkhize said he had to fork out between R20 000 and R30 000 for the funeral and, despite submitting his paperwork, had not been compensated.
“I’m really disappointed. I’m not sure what has taken so long to pay us when they came here and saw what had happened. Luckily, I had funds from a funeral policy that assisted me. I also need money to rebuild the house. There is a lot of stress,” Mkhize said.
eThekwini ward 22 councillor Mirriam Madlala said she was discussing the same issue on Thursday with municipal officials because families who lost their loved ones in Clermont hadn’t received compensation for funerals.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. People who had completed the funerals with money from their own pockets have not been compensated by the government, and we are not sure if they will be giving them any money,” Madlala said.
National Funeral Practitioners’ Association of SA (NafupaSA) president Muzi Hlengwa said those who had lost loved ones resided in poor communities and did not have money for transport costs to finalise the paperwork needed for compensation.
Hlengwa said everyone was aware of the funding and compensation available for the disaster victims.
“They have nothing or no one to turn to. I find it difficult to understand why officials are making them go from pillar to post for answers they require. Everybody is trying to look good in the media and avoids taking responsibility and ensuring that people are buried. If the government cannot assist, we can move in as undertakers and bury these people for free.”
Hlengwa said Nafupa lost income during Covid-19, which was a strain on many businesses. He said they had done funerals free of charge during the Covid-19 lockdown and after the July 2021 unrest.
“We as the industry are now burying people, and we are not getting paid for burials that we have conducted, while families are expecting a payment that is not forthcoming. Something needs to be done.
“It’s an appeal as an industry that those councillors who are interfering with these processes and those officials who want to benefit unduly from the atrocities that we as a province are suffering, they must step back so we can allow burials to proceed. People want to move on and close this chapter,” Hlengwa said.
The vice-chairperson of the KZN Undertakers Forum and ActionSA councillor, Ahmed Paruk, echoed Hlengwa’s sentiments and called on the government officials to release the money to families so they could carry out funerals.
“Some families have lost everything. They don’t have food or water or a roof over their heads and are battling to get on to their feet, and now they are burdened with additional funeral costs. I don’t think this is fair to the community.
“I fear that if these bodies are not claimed, they will be buried as paupers. Some families have come forward and identified their loved ones. There should be some compassion shown,” Paruk said.
Municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said they were hearing about the issue for the first time. He said they would investigate what had held up the processes and would check whether the family had submitted the correct paperwork.
Mayisela said families had the option of the benefit being paid directly to a funeral parlour.
The city said each family would receive R15 000 to assist with burial costs for each of their family members who had died, provided that the funeral parlour was a legally registered company that was tax-compliant with a business bank account, a letter from the ward councillor stating that he/she had made an assessment to ascertain financial need and they had the relevant bank and ID documents.
Daily News