MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Bodies piling up in BCM as Home Affairs fails to issue death certificates

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Dear MyPE

Funeral undertakers in the Buffalo City Metro are struggling due to the repeated closure of Home Affairs offices for deep cleaning and decontamination as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In recent weeks there have been instances of the offices in East London, Mdantsane and King William’s Town being closed down simultaneously, and local undertakers have had to travel to Komani (Queenstown) to obtain death certificates.

When the doors of the East London Home Affairs office are open, undertakers have to spend hours in long queues to gain access.

Without a death certificate, the deceased cannot be cremated or buried, causing undertakers to struggle with fridge space to store an ever-increasing number of bodies.

The Democratic Alliance is, therefore, requesting that a dedicated office be set up at the East London Home Affairs office to deal specifically with funeral undertakers

The impact of this issue is not only felt by undertakers, but also the families who have lost loved ones.

They are forced to wait before they can pay their last respects and also have to deal with the increased cost of daily mortuary storage.

I have escalated this matter to the DA’s Deputy Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Angel Khanyile, MP, to address with the Minister of Home Affairs and his Director-General.

The Covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted many aspects of our economy and methods of doing business – it cannot be “business as usual” under unusual circumstances.

Regards

Chantel King MP/BCM Cllr Sue Bentley
BCM Coastal Constituency

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