Politicians should not exploit funerals for their own benefit

SINCE the beginning of time, funerals, no matter what culture or religion, were regarded as a sacred final show of solemn respect to the dearly departed and to the family, friends and loved ones.

There should be an almost quietness during the procedure as each one attending has his or her own thoughts, whether good or bad of the deceased.

At these posthumous proceedings, the only words are of the religious leaders or elders, and maybe the family spokesman.

The funeral, from start to finish, is a solemn process of respect with all concentration on the life and times of the deceased.

Over this weekend I was watching a mass funeral of fellow South Africans who were killed in a bus accident and, what impressed me, was that our president, Jacob Zuma, and other cabinet ministers and political leaders were in attendance.

ThenI noticed, with dismay, how political speeches were made at the sacred service, and I thought that maybe, just maybe, some of the family or friends would have protested that posthumously political points were being made. No one protested.

I watched the media and saw not one citizen protesting at the political speeches made at the mass funeral.

Are we becoming so politically power-hungry that when someone is killed and they are affiliated to a political party, that affiliation gives the politicians the right to use the occasion to voice political statements for a political party. Is this going to be the norm? If the politicians, out of respect for the deceased, attended the funeral and said nothing, that in itself would have gained their party political points.