E80 000 tombstone hardly bought in Eswatini
MBABANE – Each tombstone could be as expensive as E80 000, it has been discovered. A survey of funeral parlours by this newspaper uncovered that emaSwatini could be purchasing expensive tombstones as an option to honour their deceased loved ones. Nonetheless, tombstones of these prices are hardly bought as undertakers said they could only dream of selling such units in their bounty.
Four funeral parlour companies concluded that emaSwati were either yet to adopt these monuments as a way of honouring their departed loved ones or have a perception that they were an expensive necessity that one could rather leave without.The companies being Ekhaya Funeral Services, Mbabane Burial Society, Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium and Safika Tombstones said the scarcity of money was the main reason why sales were not increasing.
They also said people believed that tombstones were expensive, despite having other options to purchase cheaper ones.
They collaborated that the selling of tombstone did not thrive in the rural areas but in the urban.
They also said the business was not picking up because many deceased people were buried in rural areas than in the cemeteries in towns where it was compulsory to have a tombstone erected. The companies said they were aware that people might want to provide a dignified send-off for loved ones who have passed away. Clients for such business include families of the deceased loved ones, policy holders and the deceased who stipulated their wishes in the Will.
Important
They have, therefore, argued that the media should educate and advise emaSwati on the purposes of having tombstones as they were actually monuments important in honouring the departed loved ones. Investigations have uncovered at least six reasons for having a tombstone other than for aesthetic purposes.
Firstly, tombstones help indicate the location of a burial site or cemetery. This helps in identifying gravesites and for allocation of graves in unoccupied pieces as well as easily setting them apart from others.
A dictionary meaning of a tombstone is that it is a large flat stone that is carved or an erected as a monument to lie over a grave.
They also serve as a commemoration to the deceased with details such as names, titles, age and key dates. Tombstones help in the genealogical identification whereby they serve as a prime source of information for the deceased’s descendants interested in tracing their ancestry. Moreover, tombstones protect the grave from animals and natural forces digging up the dead bodies. Tombstones are also for religious and cultural representation, whereby they can depict the religion and culture of the deceased, including sculptures of an angel, book, cross, trumpet or gate on the stones. Lastly, tombstones serve as historical artefacts. According to Ekhaya Funeral Services Director Musa Vilakati, the cheapest tombstone is E3 800.
This is the type that is only laid in the head of the tomb. Ekhaya Funeral Services, located at Msahweni in Piggs Peak, has options that were being preferred by the customers for modification of the same type, which could hike the price to E5 200. This depends on the type of stone and design used to make the tombstone.
Complete
Vilakati said more work was needed in a tombstone because of its size. He said it could take longer to complete and deliver it, adding that the more work it required the more expensive it became.
He said what made a tombstone more expensive included its design and uniqueness. He said people could choose also from the use of carved real stones or concrete baked tombstones. He said the option of the stone was more expensive that concrete tombstones.
Vilakati said they had their own plan where they construct tombstones. In terms of size, a tombstone can have a head only or have the head that goes with a slab covering the entire tomb.
He also said tombstones can be made from 10 days to 12 months.
“Actually a tombstone can be delivered at the day of the funeral. We pride ourselves with a 72-hour turnaround time for our customers,” Vilakati said.
Meanwhile, Mbabane Burial Finance Assistant Angel Dlamini
also concurred. She said a tombstone could sell from E8 000 to E80 000, which is the most expensive one. This, she said, was because of factors such as the type of stone, the design and shipping costs.
Dlamini said they source their tombstones from Paris in France.
To minimise the costs, Vilakati said having a domestic plant and sourcing the quarry locally for the monument manufacturing kept the price lower. However, he lamented that even with their own manufacturing plant, this investment has not yet taken to its potential because of low orders from clients. Dlamini said their average tombstone sales were 10 and 15 tombstones a year. She said they were hoping that things would change and that sales would increase. With the pronouncement made in burial sites that all graves ought to have a tombstone, she said they were looking at the industry gaining demand.
However, this applies only to selected areas, including cemeteries that are within the urban setup.
Mxolisi Dlamini of Safika Tombstones said he usually has three customers per month with the highest orders per month having been last December, where he sold 15 tombstones. He said standard tombstones cost from E6 000. He said he sources tombstones from South Africa. Safika said the sales were low. He said this was because people did not have enough money to spend and, therefore, may decide to cancel tombstones for other daily costs.
Dup’s Sandile Mngometulu also concurred. He said there issue affecting tombstone sales was affordability and perception.
He said that people had the perception that it did not hurt them if they did not have a tombstone.
Standards
Weighing in on this issue, the Chairman of the Eswatini Consumers Association Bongani, Mdluli, said there were no standards that were set for consumers of what should happen after death regarding tombstones.
He also said having a tombstone was not dictated to through government policy. Mdluli said often it was the decision of the surviving family of the deceased or what the Will pertained. Mdluli said he had noted that Africans have come to realise that having tombstones is a show of respect for the dead, adding that it may be for that reason the loved ones of the deceased may want to honour them.
“It all depends on the affordability. While others want simple tombstones, others want expensive ones. But if one can afford it, why not?” he said.