Cape Town - Environmental Health Practitioners better known as health inspectors have visited the premises of a wellknown funeral home three times in recent weeks following a complaint by a grieving family who claimed the warehouse where they viewed their loved one’s remains was in a state of disarray and had flies buzzing around the corpse.
The family of Sarah Raubenheimer, 78, of Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain also contacted the National Funeral Directors Association of South Africa (NFDA), in a bid to lodge a formal complaint but learnt SA Funeral Trust, also known as V-Plan, was not registered with their association.
The City has since confirmed that three inspections were done at the premises and that the certificate of competence had to be reapplied for, following the death of the owner and that concerns by Raubenheimer’s family were raised.
If a funeral home is not in possession of such a certificate, they could face closure. This week, the owner of SA Funeral Trust, Edward Meiring, confirmed with Weekend Argus that they were an independent company.
Raubenheimer’s grieving daughter, Chantal Fuscher said she had been left devastated after viewing her mother’s body on October 3, following her passing on September 21.
Raubenheimer had been laid to rest on October 5, 2024 which was followed by a cremation and due to the backlog in the Western Cape, the ashes were received this week.
Fuscher, who took photographs of the warehouse in Athlone, claimed her mother’s body was squeezed inside a small coffin and that there were flies buzzing around it.
She said washing was hanging in the same area where old tins of cooldrink was stored, dirtied carpets, wooden pallets, greasy floors to an old coffin which was also infested with flies.
“My mother was a dignified person and to think where her body was laying,” she said.
“The doors and floors were dirty, there was an old coffin laying on the floor and a mattress there like someone slept there.
“We had to fan the flies away from the body.
“She was still dressed in her pyjamas and we had requested to wash her but they said since Covid-19 they do not allow that.
“There was washing hanging and old cooldrink cans were in a rubbish bag.
“My mother wanted a proper and dignified funeral.”
The new owner of the funeral business, Edward Meiring said they would be meeting the requirements stipulated by the City.
“A body is only prepared the day before the funeral by the mortician,” he said.
“The inspectors were here, I am not going to say anything on their findings, you people are in contact with them.
“But what the family said is so far-fetched, but that is their opinion.
“I think they were more upset that we told them there will be a waiting period for the body to be cremated between three and six weeks.
“The City has now fixed their one incinerator, the newspapers have published about the backlog.
“People must understand the incineration was only fixed in the seventh month.
“People deal differently with grief, the viewing area has nothing to do with the mortuary that day we were preparing for funerals.
“We are not even supposed to let people come onto the premises after Covid-19 but we make an allowance for ten minutes to accommodate the family.
“The washing was our chair covers that we had washed and used for funerals and it was hung out.
“As for the City, they are working with us, there are a few things that need to be done and we will do that and it will be for the benefit of our clients.We are an independent company.”
In a response following their inspection, the City said the SA Funeral Trust had complied with certain aspects but had to do a reapplication of their certification.
“The City’s Environmental Health Department confirms that Environmental Health Practitioners (EHP) visited the SA Funeral Trust undertaker located in Athlone Industria II to conduct an investigation regarding the complaint received.
“The funeral undertaker premises is in the process of reapplying for a certificate of competence due to the current owner passing. SA Funeral Trust has made a formal request to the local newspaper to publish a 21-day notice to inform the surrounding communities of the business operations as required by the regulation.
“The premises complies with the requirements as stipulated in the regulation.
“The premises were inspected on the following dates, September 26 2024, 31st October 2024 and November 62024.
“The concerns raised by the family were addressed with the funeral undertaker by the relevant EHP.
“Funeral Undertaker premises are inspected by Environmental Health once per quarter as per National Environmental Health Norms & Standards for Premises; however the Department will monitor the undertaker on a more frequent basis for compliance for the next six months.”
Deon Solomon and Marthie Botha of the NFDA said funeral homes had to comply with certain regulations when bodies were viewed or stored and that the said company was not part of their association.
“Yes, I can confirm that. They’ve never been a member. We are one of a number of member associations in the country, and have never had any contact with them,”said Botha.
“According to Regulation 363 on the Management of Human Remains, based on the Health Act 63 of 1977, a funeral parlour with a mortuary has to adhere to the following requirements:
“No room on the funeral undertaker’s premises shall be used for any purpose other than the purpose for which it is intended and no act other than an act related to the said purpose shall occur in such a room.
“(2) Every holder of a certificate of competence relating to funeral undertaker’s premises.
“The Department of Health issues a Certificate of Competence (COC) which is valid for two years after inspection of the premises, and if the criteria are not met, such a mortuary should be closed down.”