With the country hit by a second wave of COVID-19, undertakers are seeing more and more bodies.

In the first week of this month, funeral parlours witnessed an increase of more than 70% in burials.

With the emergence of the second wave of COVID-19, the number of coronavirus-related deaths is growing at an alarming rate.

Most deaths have been reported in the Eastern Cape followed by the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

The funeral industry said it’s running short of coffins as spokesperson Vuyo Mabindisa explained: “However, the South African Funeral Practitioner’s Association has investigated to see if we can get other suppliers in neighbouring countries.”

COVID-19: SA funeral parlours 'running out of coffins, graves & storage space'

Mabindasa is also concerned about the delay in the issuing of death certificates, particularly in the Western Cape.

“The hospitals are delaying with the paperwork and by the time we get those papers, there is a lag at Home Affairs.”

Despite the extension of working hours at Home Affairs offices across the country, the organisation said the delay has a crippling effect on families since they need to claim from funeral policies.

The Citizen reports the funeral industry has appealed to the Department of Home Affairs to extend working hours, including working over weekends, as it struggles to cope with high mortality numbers related to Covid-19.

The second wave of the pandemic has hit the industry hard as it runs short of coffin supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

This, accompanied by delays in document processes, has raised concerns as it affects the entire value chain of funerals, says the South African Funeral Parlours’ Association.

“A death certificate is a very important document, it helps the bereaved to access finances and if delayed that could have crippling effects on the families,” said Ndabe Ngcobo of the South African Funeral Parlours’ Association.

“We have appealed to the Department of Home Affairs to extend their working hours, including Saturdays and Sundays,” Ngcobo said.

EWN