Chaos as gogo’s corpse disappears 2 days before burial. As if that wasn’t enough pain, two days before the burial the Teka family from Engcobo discovered their gogo Nomdakana (89) went missing from Abaxolisi Funeral Directors in the Eastern Cape. They were left with broken hearts when their loved one died on December 27.
Now her granddaughter, Vathiswa, believes her gogo was mistakenly buried somewhere. She said when they went to the funeral parlour, there was a body classified as unknown. “We thought the unknown body belonged to the family that mistakenly buried our gogo, but it was found that wasn’t the case,” she said.
“Families that conducted burials between 29 December and 7 January who used the same funeral parlour are refusing exhumations to take place. We’re still looking for my gogo’s corpse,” said Vathiswa.
Abaxolisi Funeral Directors exhumed a body in early January, thinking it was gogo Nomdakana. When Daily Sun called the funeral parlour, a woman who wouldn’t identify herself said the matter was being investigated as a matter of urgency.
“The director is organising the exhumation of bodies we buried in December and January. “We’re doing everything to make sure we locate the body,” said the woman. Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa executive committee member, Nocawe Makhiwane, said the matter was under investigation.
She said she wasn’t sure of the progress of the investigation as an independent body was asked to investigate. Eastern Cape health spokesman Siyanda Manana said he wasn’t able to comment because the matter involved a private company.
“Funeral parlours are run independently and privately, and for that reason we cannot comment. “When someone has died our job is to certify them dead. “It’s the funeral parlour in question that would best comment.”
