GEORGE NEWS - A whistleblower complaint about poor service delivery by a local funeral undertaker has unearthed more questions than answers, highlighting the need for a regulating authority that could oversee the operations of all stakeholders.
Fly-by-night funeral undertakers, operating in a notoriously unregulated industry, often exploit vulnerable, grieving families.
Mail & Guardian reported late last year that most of the roughly 75 000 funeral businesses in South Africa are unregistered and inadequately overseen. This, while the industry is reportedly regulated by about 36 pieces of legislation under various laws, such as the Health Act, the Insurance Act, the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.
The coffin upgrade nobody asked for
A well-placed industry insider, who spoke to George Herald on condition of anonymity, was deeply affected by substandard service delivery, saying the deceased was stripped of his dignity.
When Fritz Kriess (82) died in George Hospital on 21 July, Anointed Funerals, led by Frederick Jantjies, was called to remove the body. With Kriess' widow in denial over his death and all surviving relatives based in Germany, Mia* (name changed to protect the source's identity) stepped in to help.
She informed Jantjies that Kriess had no family or friends locally and was to receive a private cremation. According to our research, a private cremation carries a price tag of between R5 000 and R15 000, averaging R7 000. However, Mia received an invoice for R18 975. This was after she was first sent someone else's invoice for a full-service funeral amounting to R19 147,50 - including charges for a bus, flowers, pamphlets, opening of the grave and a cross.
When she compared invoices, she noticed Kriess' coffin that was destined for the cremation oven cost 71,43% more than the coffin selected for the full-service funeral.
Jantjies, denying receiving instructions for a private cremation, said it was all a misunderstanding. He explained that when he saw Kriess' people were paying for his 'funeral', he decided to upgrade the coffin to something more dignified for 'Oom Fritzie', as he called Kriess. However, when confronted by Mia, he adjusted the quote, and they settled on R13 625,50.
Mystery mortuary in Binne Street
At the centre of the controversy is a mystery mortuary in the middle of George Industria, where Kriess' widow viewed his body before cremation. The unmarked warehouse-style building is located on Binne Street, next to Dekra Automotive Garden Route, and is used by two independent funeral undertakers: Anointed Funerals and George Funeral Home.
While neither hold the Certificate of Competency (CoC) required to store human remains in this region, they are, at least according to Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) records, operating above board.
According to GRDM spokesperson Herman Pieters, Anointed Funerals are not currently handling or storing any deceased, but focus solely on funeral policies. George Funeral Home, on the other hand, is authorised to handle and store bodies, but don't need a CoC as they use the cooling facility of a third party, Booi Funerals - who holds a valid CoC - for storage.
The snag is this: Booi Funerals is located in Thembalethu, so who runs the show in George Industria?
According to Jantjies, it is George Funeral Home's mortuary.
This was later confirmed by George Funeral Home owner, Fredelina Stellenberg. However, as it turns out, the facility does not yet have a fridge as Stellenberg is still in the process of applying for a CoC. In fact, George Herald happened to speak to her on the day the facility was due for inspection and God-willing, approval.
The elderly Fritz Kriess' remains as received from the crematorium.
Funeral homes playing pass the coffin
Jantjies said Kriess' remains were initially kept at Booi Funerals in Thembalethu, but to save his elderly German-speaking client a trip there, he transferred the body to the Binne Street facility for viewing. According to Stellenberg, undertakers are allowed to stage viewings at alternative facilities.
She explained that Anointed Funerals was one of five smaller undertakers that piggyback off George Funeral Home as the latter holds a higher registration level. This is why George Funeral Home completed and stamped Kriess' death certificate on Anointed Funerals' behalf.
Jantjies explains the deal Anointed Funerals has with George Funeral Home:
"When we get a body, we often wait until George Funeral Home also has a body and then we give them the paperwork for our body and they do it all together."
However, according to Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness spokesperson Shimoney Regter, this is not allowed. "In terms of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 51 of 1992 and regulations, the undertaker indicated on the form should be the person or entity in lawful possession of the deceased at the time of removal from a public health facility and responsible for further arrangements."
Unfortunately, this regulation only works on paper, as Stellenberg explains: "I've had this discussion with the health department before. Many authorities don't know how it works in practice. The listed funeral undertaker responsible for collecting bodies from a hospital will pick up the deceased and take them to their premises. Then, more often than not, a different funeral undertaker, chosen by the family, collects the body from the one who collected it from the hospital. In this way, the undertaker who collects the body often differs from the one who handles the notice of death and the proceedings."
This also reflects GRDM's response to a question on the matter.
She went on the voice her frustration with Anointed Funerals' conduct and how it adversely impacted her business' reputation.
"The family is confused because Jantjies never made it clear from the start that he wasn’t allowed to offer certain services."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Please be advised that Plumb Green is not at all, in any manner whatsoever, associated with the funeral parlour in question.
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