Johannesburg - The Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown restrictions imposed since March 2020, have forced many families to change their traditional funeral practices to adapt to the pandemic regulations.
Government has put strict measures in place with neither the urban nor rural areas being exempt from adhering to these restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The latest figures by Statistic South Africa (Stats SA) show that 89 515 deaths have been attributed to the pandemic. However, the Covid-19 lockdown procedures have forced many South Africans to revise their burial practices.
Co-founder and COO of Abaveleli Funeral Directors Unathi Saul, said the number of fatalities associated with Covid-19 in the country had increased, making funerals a high-risk site for the virus, particularly in rural areas.
“As a result, families are facing unprecedented limitations and challenges when planning and preparing for funerals. The ban on large funerals in South Africa has led people to give up on their burial traditions. Before the Coronavirus emerged, hundreds of people were able to attend funerals to give their loved ones a proper send-off," she said.
Sauls added that many families were frustrated as they can no longer honour their family members with a dignified send-off.
"Planning a funeral has been difficult since the pandemic began, especially because public gatherings to grieve a loved one were also prohibited, such as night vigils. In some cases, however, Covid-19 lockdown requirements forced families to change their burial practices and consider secret burials," said Saul.
Stats SA also reported a 12% increase in the price of coffins in the early stages of the pandemic. By August last year, the prices reached a 25% to 30% increase and have been hovering thereabout for the most part.
In addition, the current shortage of chip board is also driving prices up. About 70% of entry-level caskets in SA are made from chipboard and cost around R1 000.
However, the housing industry is experiencing a boom worldwide which has left coffin manufacturers fighting for timber.
Locally, the unrest of July which did not spare funeral parlours from vandals and looters, and the high number of Covid-19 deaths, are also a major contributor to this scarcity.
Saul said that this made the situation particularly difficult for poor families, considering that the next range of caskets costs between R8 000 to R15 000.
A coffin maker from Pretoria who asked to remain anonymous, said the pandemic did not affect his sales or prices although the price of the materials (chip board, MDF) had gone up rapidly.
“I did not increase any of my prices yet to keep my company going but others have. The increases from the manufacturers are marginal though but the end prices to the consumer are determined individually by the undertakers themselves.
“Where there are more or less set prices for the caskets between all the manufacturers, the undertakers' charges are individually decided by the individual companies themselves. (There are) no set price per different caskets at all. I have not had any increases since opening my company. So I am actually biting the bullet for the increases in wood prices,” said the business owner.
There are many different coffins and caskets, and an entry level coffin could cost R550 with prices going up to R23 000 and more, depending on the coffin specifications.
Branch Manager at Abaveleli Funeral Directors, Noloyisa Gawula said prices had changed because of the extra Covid-19 related expenditure, and because the company had to hire more part-time workers to cope with rising Covid-19 deaths.
“For us, there were no added costs to people for Covid-19 funerals. Funeral policies paid out enough although families had to get their own PPE. From 2020, price increases were at 10% and that still stands,” she said.