Note to Editors: Please find English soundbite by Madeleine Hicklin MPL attached here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) demands new legislation to regulate funeral undertakers and the funeral industry in Gauteng following yet another scandal involving mismanagement.
A family in Wattville, Benoni, is reeling and seeking justice after the Bato Batsho Bakopane (B3) Funeral Parlour took the shocking decision to cremate their loved one instead of honouring their wishes by returning the body for burial. The funeral parlour is alleged to have confirmed that it cremated the body by mistake.
This incident occurs when another tragedy is still fresh in our minds. A family in Soshanguve was left devastated after realising they had buried the wrong person, believing it to be their loved one due to negligence at the state mortuary.
These troubling incidents underscore the urgent need for new legislation to regulate the funeral industry and its undertakers.
It is outrageous that the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) spent R3 million in 2012/13 on the development of the Gauteng Funeral Undertakers Bill and the Gauteng Funeral Industry Reform Bill, yet there is nothing to show for it.
This not only represents a wasteful expenditure but demonstrates the provincial government’s tendency to propose plans without the commitment or will to implement them.
The DA Gauteng Provincial government would urgently introduce new laws to regulate the undertakers and funeral industry, aiming to alleviate the suffering of our people caused by both state and private mortuaries and funeral parlours.
The frequent cases of mistaken identities, incorrect bodies sent to families for burial, and wrongful burials and cremations have reached a worrying level for the citizens of Gauteng. Urgent action is needed to address this issue. No family should have to endure such indignity and trauma.
The DA will continue to fight for a dignified life and a dignified death for all residents in Gauteng.