Khitsane a trendsetter in funeral business
Braille, GPS are some of in-things
Tombstone maker Lebohang Khitsane believes his somewhat radical designs have elevated him to be a trendsetter who is ready to conquer the world.
The 42-year-old CEO of Bataung Memorial Tombstones from Katlehong on the East Rand has made stones for the rich and famous in South Africa and the continent.
He collects his marble and granite works from North West, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
He currently has 120 employees, including researchers and developers. He recently designed the much-talked about tombstone for late actor and singer Joe “S’dumo” Mafela.
His other works include a replica of a stadium for John “Shoes” Moshoeu, a stone with Mount Kilimanjaro features for racing car driver Gugu Zulu, and a statue for Mduduzi “Mandoza” Tshabalala.
Mandoza’s tombstone was brought to his grave in a helicopter with the sounds of his smash-hit, Nkalakatha, blasting in the background on the day of his burial.
Khitsane said the bizarre and eye-catching features on his stones had earned him respect and jealousy from his competitors.
“Some of my competitors even come to my funerals just to check what is it that I would do. I let them copy me.”
Khitsane’s ground-breaking feat was to be the first to include QR coding (Quick Response) and GPS on stones, which helps families trace the exact burial sites of their loved ones long after they had been buried.
In some cases, the QR coding can be scanned at church on the day of the funeral to help mourners not to get lost when they get to the cemetery.
He also included Braille on Zulu’s stone to translate what’s written on the tombstone.
He said the idea came after he consulted legendary blind singer Babsie Mlangeni.
“He told me that he was upset that he could not read his child’s stone, and that’s when we started working on the concept. Since then I’ve received more than 10 requests.”
Before the tombstone business, Khitsane had a printing business and later a clothing company, which collapsed because he mismanaged them. “I was young and reckless.” In 2004 he started Bataung Memorial Tombstones after spending a year learning the business from a mentor.
His other works include a replica of a stadium for John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu
In many cases he would consult with bereaved families to get a concept for a stone.
His ordinary stones cost from R2 000, depending on the customers’specifications.
The custom-made stones start from R80 000 upwards.
Some of the tombstones he had designed for celebrities were paid for by private donors, Khitsane said.