Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
funerallatest news & developments
Mosiuoa Lekota was remembered as a towering figure of South Africa’s liberation struggle

Mashatile honours Mosiuoa Lekota as a giant who carried the torch of freedom

Known for speaking truth to power, Lekota’s contributions to democracy, education and social development have left an indelible mark on South Africa’s journey toward equality and…

Mourners gather in Bloemfontein to honour struggle veteran Mosiuoa Lekota

Political leaders and mourners gather in Bloemfontein to honour Mosiuoa Lekota, remembered for fierce convictions, humility, and a lifelong commitment to ordinary South Africans

Former president Edgar Lungu’s body is still in South Africa because of a row between Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and the Lunga family over where he should be buried. Photo: File

Zambia: Missed opportunities in the feud over Edgar Lungu’s burial

If President Hakainde Hichilema cannot manage a funeral, how can he manage a country?

Fig 3: Detail Still of Lilahloane by Imameleng Masitha. Courtesy o AVA Gallery
Fig 4: Imameleng Masitha. Courtesy of artist

‘Lilahloane’: Death rites live beyond the grave

A new video installation by Imameleng Masitha at the AVA gallery digs into our rituals to mark mortality and the longing for home soil amid moving and migration

Safiri Salama, kiSwahili for “go in peace” or “travel well”, is a familiar farewell term used during East African funerals.

Kenyan ‘end-of-life’ services tech startup is digitising mourning

From memorials to digital death notices, Safiri Salama is changing how we say goodbye, giving the funeral industry a tech upgrade

A grave at a cemetery at St Wendolins Mission, west of Durban. It is one of the many cemeteries that are now full following the influx of bodies during the pandemic. (Rogan Ward)

A grave situation in eThekwini

A shortage of burial plots and viable land for new cemeteries has been worsened by the pandemic’s death toll, forcing people to buy rural land on which to bury their loved ones.

Burden of grief: The late Njabulo Allen Dlamini, who was killed in Phoenix on 12 July, was finally buried on 21 July 2021. (Photo by Marco Longari/AFP)

Riots leave the dead unburied and the living at risk

Crematoriums, funeral parlours and cemeteries were forced to close, leaving the families of those who died during the unrest to live with their bodies.

Rites: Whose lives matter? (Paul Botes/M&G)

The unholy cost of a sacred death

Funerals come with a huge price tag here in South Africa, but unless they’re okay with being pariahs, the bereaved must spare no expense

Some Malagasy are taking steps to prevent infection as the pneumonic plague spreads rapidly in urban areas across Madagascar.

Madagascar’s grave dilemma

The pneumonic plague is forcing the islanders to abandon their traditional burial rites

Dead matter: Jacob Zuma once swept Nkosazana off her feet

Better late than dead as NDZ enlivens funeral indaba

‘In KwaZulu-Natal the death industry is big money. Party election war chests need money’

When a person dies intestate then conflict, distress and litigation can arise.

Japanese firm to offer ‘drive-thru’ funeral service

Relatives can pay their respects to loved ones without leaving the comfort of their cars — an initiative supporting an ‘ultra-aged’ country.

‘It’s hard in winter time: the tents blow over and you become cold. But preparing graves came into my veins.’

Slice of Life: I’ve been digging graves since I was a teen – death has given me a shot at life

A Soweto teenager put himself through school by preparing graves. Now he’s an undertaker, but still gets emotional at the sight of a child’s coffin.

Thousands gather to honour Muhammad Ali at funeral

The world-renowned boxer and political activist died on Friday. He was 74. Over 14 000 people met to honour him at his Thursday jenazah, or funeral.

Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead in October 2014, while he was at a party at the home of his then girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus at the East Rand.

How much does South Africa spend on VIP funerals?

Each province gets over R3m a year to spend on the last rites of its latest and greatest – but if they spend it all in one go, that’s their funeral.

Distress: Aaron White couldn’t dress the decomposing body of his brother Taruai in new clothes.

Buried by a weight of indignity

A traumatic tangle of red tape awaits families of undocumented migrants who die in South Africa.

The Gauteng health department has responded to “confusion” about the preparation of mass graves in the province

Bra Jeff, you lived one hell of a life

The colour defying life of uncle Bra Jeff.

City slicker gets to dig the real meaning of life in a rural village

A taste of the platteland could also include some hard work.

Mugabe shows a softer side

Despite President Robert Mugabe’s grief, he spoke for an hour unaided at his sister’s funeral and put paid to rumours of his own death.