By Zuko Komisa
South Africans have been instructed to bury the dead within four days due to heat waves and load shedding.
In 2022, there were nearly 200 days of load shedding in South Africa. In 2023, there were load-shedding days every day, including six days of Stage 6.
Kaya Biz with Gugulethu Mfuphi spoke to Vuyisile Mabindisa from the South African Funeral Practitioners Association’s (SAFPA) national secretary-general who spoke about how load shedding coupled with a heatwave across parts of South Africa is causing bodies to decay much faster at funeral parlours, an industry body has warned.
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Mabindisa claimed that the present heatwave was creating a sharp increase in the pace of decomposition.
“We acknowledge that death comes at a time we don’t really have money and many families want to make sure everything is done accordingly, as funeral practitioners we are regulated and told to have a backup generator.
However, with these long hours of load-shedding, it would be unjust for us to express that the strain of load-shedding is becoming severe.”
Mabindisa urged people to bury their loved ones within four days of their death to ease pressure on funeral parlours, and to ensure that they are buried with minimal decay
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