Burial stalls over need for outsize coffin

An Eastern Cape family have been struggling for almost three weeks to bury a loved one considered “too big” for a coffin.

Fezeka Dunyelwa, 68, died at Nompumelelo Hospital in Peddie on November 11.

She suffered from elephantiasis and according to her family, had an oversized left leg and was morbidly obese. Her body has been at a cold storage room at Maxatana Funeral Directors since then.

The family said her funeral had been delayed because Dunyelwa was reportedly not covered for a large-sized coffin.

Her daughter Ntombovuyo Dunyelwa said the funeral parlour told them they needed to pay R13,000 for a custom-made coffin despite her mother’s fiveyear-old policy covering her for a coffin and a R2,000 cash payment. Ntombovuyo said the funeral directors were aware of her mother’s condition. “She went to pay there every month yet it was not disclosed. Not even in the policy book did it say that in case of a person being oversized they will have to pay extra for the coffin. She opened the policy in 2013 and paid faithfully every month for five years.”

Mtobeli Maxatana, who owns the business, said on Wednesday: “This is the first time that I am hearing of this case. Nobody told me that there was a delay in a funeral.”

He said he would meet the family to make arrangements.