Decent burial elusive to the poor

Edmore Mazivofa Features Correspondent
Death is one of those painful inevitabilities of life. And while the cruel pain of separation can be great, it becomes even heavier when economic circumstances contrive to worsen the situation. Death in a foreign land is cruel as it not only elongates the pain through the process of repatriation, but also comes with a huge cost to the family especially when the deceased had no funeral plan.
In the African culture, Zimbabwe included, it is an obligation for those remaining behind to honour the wishes of the dead.

In most instances, the deceased would have wished to be buried back home, ekhaya.
Thus the relatives have to foot repatriation costs.

Although in the past the cost of repatriating bodies across borders was a problem for those living along the country’s borders, it has now caught up with most areas in the country since many people have moved to neighbouring countries in search of greener pastures.

Although a funeral is one event where people go out of their way to extend a helping hand, it remains difficult for relatives to raise enough money to bring the deceased home for burial.

The problem is worse if the family of the deceased is not well resourced.
The family has to scrounge for the elusive dollar to pay repatriation and burial costs in honour of the deceased’s wishes.

This may be a result of financial indiscipline or little wages Zimbabweans are earning in foreign lands.
Relatives have to pay outstanding hospital bills for the deceased and mortuary fees before the actual repatriation costs.

These bills have to be settled before the body can be released for burial.
It costs around US$1 000 to repatriate the body of the deceased from most countries in the region. Raising such an amount within a few days is difficult, especially in an unexpected death.

To solve the issue of high costs for repatriation, Kenyans have developed Funeral Harambees; a project where they raise money for the funeral of their countrymen when in foreign lands.

A headman in Chivi district in Masvingo, Mr Stan Moyo said the problem had reached an alarming level in his area which is near the South African border.

“The funeral costs for our children who die mostly in South Africa have created problems in most families in our area. Families have lost a substantial amount of money and sometimes cattle to meet these costs.

“At one point we ended up burying some people there after failing to raise money for repatriation. This is painful for the family members who do not have the opportunity to witness the burial of their loved one,” he said.

Headman Moyo said in most cases the property of the deceased will be sold to cover funeral expenses.
A teenager who works in South Africa and have at one time accompanied the body of his friend said the problem affected mostly teenagers who do not save money and only realise the importance when calamity strikes.

In most cases, the affected will contact relatives back home for financial support.
Relatives have to look for the money with others getting loans so they can buy a decent coffin and accord their relative a decent burial at home.

In some instances, the deceased would have stated that their wares should be carried home for distribution to family and friends.
“When I went to South Africa to collect my sister’s body, I was shocked to learn that she had left a huge hospital bill. According to her friends, she had expressed desire to be buried home among her family members. That was enough to put pressure on us to bring her home.

“It took us a week to complete processing of repatriation papers before driving home with the body. It was the most gruesome journey of my life,” reminisces Daniel Nharikwa.

“The process could have taken less time had we used air to transport the body home but we could not afford.
“South African funeral service providers can only transport the body to the nearest border and do not go any further.”

Local funeral parlours have initiated international funeral cover schemes to assist in the repatriation of locals who die abroad.
Funeral service provider Nyaradzo Funeral Services has the International Cover Group scheme.

The scheme provides funeral cover to Zimbabweans resident in South Africa and UK who wish to be repatriated back home.
Under the scheme, holders contributed towards the policy using local currency of the resident country.

If a member does not have an international cover and his contributions are made in Zimbabwe, there will be a provision of a hearse to ferry deceased from the airport to a place of burial anywhere within Zimbabwe.

To avoid repatriation fees, some families bring their seriously ill loved ones home on crossborder buses so that they do not die in a foreign land.

This is however, at a cost but far less than repatriation fees.
Cross border bus crews usually ask for anything between US$50 and US$100 to carry the sick to Zimbabwe.

Countless cases of people dying on board have been reported.
A funeral attendant with a local funeral provider who declined to be named urged Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to prepare for such eventualities like death regardless of how little one earns.

Death is one thing that cannot be avoided and needs people to prepare.