. A Cape Town family has initiated an online petition demanding the revocation of bail and the closure of business operations for undertaker Petrus Booysen. He faces multiple fraud charges for allegedly burying bodies instead of cremating them, leaving families devastated and seeking justice.
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The family of a man who was buried as a pauper instead of being cremated has started an online petition to have undertaker Petrus Booysen's bail revoked and to stop him from running his business.
Nicolene Cushy, the daughter of Johannes Francois Jacobus Nel, 57, started the petition after her family spent a year keeping ashes they thought belonged to Nel, only to find out later that he has been buried as a pauper.
City officials together with police confirmed that Nel was one of six people who were buried as paupers at Welmoed Cemetery in Kuils River instead of being cremated.
Nel died in December 2023 and the alarming discovery was made more than a year later.
Booysen, who runs St Francis Funeral Services in Kraaifontein was arrested in January after five families came forward. He is facing seven counts of fraud and is due back in the Kuils River Magistrate's Court on March 14.
Last week another family came forward, with claims that Booysen had swindled them as well, where they could not bury their loved one, Cento Pearce, 24, on the day of his funeral because the grave was not dug, and his paperwork including his identity book was tampered with.
The nightmare continued when Pearce’s face remained open in his coffin between 8am to 2pm in the scorching sun, leaving a decomposing smell and the family was forced to appoint a new undertaker to remove the body and host a second funeral days later.
At least 60 people have since signed Cushy's petition so far.
“We, the undersigned, are writing to express our outrage and demand immediate action regarding the actions of Petrus Booysen, an undertaker responsible for the fraudulent and unethical handling of human remains. We call for the revocation of his bail and for him to be permanently barred from operating as an undertaker,” Cushy said via her petition.
She said they had the following request at his next court appearance: “ We demand that Petrus Booysen’s bail be revoked immediately, we request that he be permanently barred from operating as an undertaker or conducting any business in the funeral industry. We urge the relevant authorities to launch a full investigation into his actions, ensuring that no other families fall victim to his deceit.”
Last week, Deon Solomon, National Funeral Directors Association of Southern African (NFDA) chairperson said they were made aware of Booysen’s case, and cautioned the public to beware of fake or fraudulent undertakers who were not registered by an official body.
Booysen has denied running his business while out on bail. When approached by the Cape Argus. he said his lawyer advised him not to speak to the media.
He was arrested in January after five families came forward and has become an expose in the Cape Argus.
Cape Argus