When Lameck got seriously ill, some of his children became continuously unreachable, even on their mobile phones. They dreaded the fact that any incoming call could announce the long-awaited death of their father, which is perfectly understandable. However, what they dreaded most was the funeral costs which could go beyond their reach due to prevailing economic hardships. The family had already exhausted all its resources on hospitalization and medication.

Nowadays, a decent funeral in major cities like Harare and Bulawayo can cost as much as 500 US dollars. USD200 for a coffin and a combination of mortuary, undertaker, hearse, cemetery equipment and grave fees could easily reach USD300. To that, add the cost of food, water and electricity during  the  two or three day funeral wake, while waiting for close relatives to arrive and also transport to carry mourners to the burial site. Or worse still, if the deceased is destined for burial at his rural home, the trip is even longer.

An average salary in Zimbabwe these days is between 100 and 500 US dollars which makes the cost of dying an extremely expensive affair for an average Zimbabwean family.

Funeral insurance eases burden
According to traditional African culture, funerals are part of extended family responsibilities and many people still consider it taboo to take funeral insurance policies or even buy graves well ahead of their deaths. Besides, it is still difficult to set aside some money for insurance and medical aid. Most funeral insurance policies taken before the Zimbabwe dollar was replaced by hard currencies were seriously eroded by inflation.
 

“Family cooperativeness has largely died away due to modernization and relatives now leave the burden to those directly affected. Family members in the Diaspora occasionally chip in with some much-needed financial assistance, sometimes making funeral management an easy burden to the point of lavishness and show-off” explained Kuthula, whose father was buried recently.
 

Dodging funerals rife
“At times churches, political parties and other associations can be helpful if the dead were their known activist, although such assistance cannot be entirely relied upon as it normally covers only a portion of the total cost. So, the best is to plan ahead and invest for your own funeral when you are still alive. That’s why some people quickly transfer their seriously ill relatives to their rural homes with the hope of having them die there, where funeral costs are much lower than in the cities.” said Jonas, a Harare-based undertaker.
 

It is also common these days that dead bodies, which still remain unclaimed at most central hospitals, end up being given paupers’ burials because relatives prefer to avoid the hassle that comes with it.
 

Rural burials cheaper
People play all sorts of dirty tricks in order to avoid expensive city funerals. For example, after the hard realisation that their relative was already dead, the Mapfumo family placed her body in the back seat of a car, between two relatives and made it appear as if a sick person was being transported home. The trick was successful since they passed all police check points, even receiving sympathies from law enforcers who wished the “quiet and ailing passenger” a speedy recovery.
 

As Lameck’s home started filling up with mourners, mainly from his church, political party branch and burial society, his hiding children suddenly showed up. Now they can rest assured that the funeral burden would be much lighter than they expected, thanks to their father’s strong network in society.