Johannesburg – Organizations representing funeral practitioners in KwaZulu-Natal have called for greater collaboration and the sharing of resources among their members as one of the key strategies to weather the Covid-19 third wave which its crippling effects has already been felt in some parts of the country.
Speaking to Sunday World on their state of readiness to deal with the aftermath of the unpredictable new wave of the deadly pandemic which has engulfed some parts of the country, Muzi Hlengwa president of the National Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa (Nafupa SA) said the industry had learnt great lessons in the previous two waves of the pandemic.
“The Covid-19 pandemic provided the greatest threat for the industry especially for black funeral practitioners. With the third wave already on our shores, we are advocating for funeral parlours to share their resources. This collaboration will ensure that there is no backlog and that funeral service providers are not overwhelmed when deaths escalate to uncontrollable levels,” said Hlengwa.
He added that there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes negotiations involving coffin manufacturers in preparing for the third wave related deaths.
“In the previous waves, the industry, especially the undertakers were caught with their pants down. There was a severe shortage of coffins and we have prepared in advance by engaging the suppliers of coffins to prepare themselves. Besides this, the general trend in our industry is that more deaths are recorded in Winter. The cause of most deaths is usually respiratory complications and flu-related illnesses. This has been the trend way before the country was hit by Covid-19,” he added.
The shortage of coffins created a catastrophe for funeral parlours with families forced to consider cremation as an alternative method of disposing corpses.
The dire situation also led to body pile-ups in mortuaries and nearly created a health crisis for the province.
Another funeral practitioner, Dalisu Gumede of the Durban based Dalisu Classic Funerals said the government protocols that anyone dying of Covid-19 related death must be buried within 48 hours was impossible to achieve.
“The claiming process takes an average of a week, so it is difficult to observe the strict government regulations pertaining to Covid-19 related deaths. Families are forced to postpone funerals, and this is reflecting badly on us as funeral service providers. We are therefore calling for the government to relax these protocols to accommodate the needs of our clients,” he said.
Gauteng province has been hit hard by the new wave of infections.
The province has accounted for more than two-thirds of the reported third wave cases.
The KZN government has also warned that the upcoming school holidays coupled with holiday makers expected to flock the province’s beaches might result in the surge of Covid-19 cases.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
