15 Aug 2017

Death is the enemy of humanity since time immemorial. It does not only steal the peace of people, but also costs them huge sums of money.  

That may provide a clue why prominent politician, Mr Botsalo Ntuane recently wondered why Batswana could not adopt the Islamic practice of laying to rest the deceased within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Batswana are now accustomed to the funeral costs to the extend that a corpse can stay for two weeks at the mortuary, and the affected family still manages to feed the mourners.

You will be forgiven for thinking that funerals are no longer about paying one’s last respect, but instead seem to be about one’s status within society.

Today’s funeral arrangements seem as an opportunity for people to flaunt their wealth rather than to mourn, thanks to multiple funeral policies offered by insurances and burial societies.

One such burial society is Tyhari Burial Society which was formed in 2014 in Tsabong with the mission to help its members to send their beloved relatives with dignity and respect.

Speaking in an interview, the chairperson of Tyhari Burial Society, Mr Morake Moetsabatho said their burial society was open to every citizen above 18 years, and that it helped in arranging for the funeral and providing emotional support to members of the bereaved family.

As is the norm in every funeral policy for members to pay a premium, he said they only want P50 from their members every month, and that the policy matured after six months.

When the member died, he said the affected family was given P20 000 to pay for a coffin and other funeral expenses.

To augment the amount, he said every member was required to contribute P30 to buy groceries amounting to P3 000.

Unlike many burial societies which provide monetary support, he said members also extended a helping hand during funeral preparations through cooking and cleaning.

He said plans were underway to build an office block in Tsabong and to employ administrators to run the society daily.

He said the board of the society would oversee the whole administration though they would not be available on a daily basis.

His advised people who do not have funeral policies to act fast as death did not discriminate.

“Things like accidents happen all the time and unexpectedly.

This is why a funeral policy is a necessity and a responsible thing to do. It will give you an opportunity to pay your last respects in a most distinguished way,” he said.Ends