By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Funeral parlours plans to “shut down” the home affairs head office in Pretoria over complaints that requirements for the removal of bodies are too onerous.
The companies, under the banner of the Unification Task Team (UTT), want the department to amend regulations so they have the right to remove bodies from mortuaries, hospitals and forensic laboratories for burial.
Issues at hand are certificates of competence (COCs), which allow funeral parlours to obtain death certificates on behalf of bereaved families. Without the certificates they cannot complete the death registrations, which means that families have to delay burying their loved ones, or queue on their own at home affairs offices to apply for the documentation.
Home affairs should also have enough staff to urgently deal with death registrations.
Operations at the Department of Home Affairs in Tshwane have been disrupted while the group protested outside the offices.
Earlier, police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at protesting funeral parlour owners.
The group said that their protest was peaceful when officers dispersed them.
“We are being treated like this simply because we are black, this is what is happening. This white guy came with a grenade… we were standing there peacefully, there’s no reason why they should do that. Simply because we are black and they must shoot at us. What must we do in the next march? Must we bring guns as well? Is that the statement that these police are sending?” one angry protestor said.
However the Department of Home Affairs says it has “fulfilled its promise” to the Unification Task Team (UTT), and the grouping of funeral associations and forums.
This week the department announced an engagement with UTT leaders. Director-general Tommy Makhode committed to consult his department and the SA Local Government Association for input into revising the regulations and implementation of issues related to the management of human remains.
The department said in a statement it had agreed with UTT that undertakers can be issued with a provisional registration, which would allow them to operate for a year while the parties find a lasting solution.
The funeral undertakers handed over their list of demands to the department’s head office on Tuesday and the department promised to respond in seven days.
As part of this agreement, applications must provide proof of a cold storage facility lease agreement with a COC and the COC of the person (lessor) leasing the premises.
But the UTT has rubbished the contents of the statement, saying it was not what was agreed upon.