A Belhar woman wants to warn people of an alleged “skelme funeral parlour owner” who overcharged her by R8 997 for her mother-in-law’s burial.
Priscilla Busakwe says her mom-in-law passed away at Karl Bremer Hospital in early December and the family, who are from Worcester, opted for a Xhosa-owned parlour in Worcester to do the funeral.
“We made contact with Themba Mashwanyela, the owner of Gcobani Kwilitha Le Themba (GKL) Funerals from Zwelethemba,” she explains.
“Themba came to fetch my mother-in-law’s body at the morgue and transported it back to Worcester.
“Mashwanyela presented us with two funeral package quotes, of R40 450 and R30 950.
“I asked him why it’s so expensive and to give a breakdown of what the monies were for.
“His response was that my mother-in-law was well-built and big in body structure and that’s the lowest he could do to complete the funeral.
“I told him we have a family plot and we got a discount of R700, so we had to pay R30 250,” Priscilla explains.
She says they also gave strict instructions on the picture to be used on the funeral programme and asked for two A4-sized photos for the casket.
“We were still asking for a breakdown of the quotation by 10 December. But we were strapped for time and I paid the money because my mother-in-law had to be buried,” she says.
INVOICE: A breakdown of services
“At the funeral, there were 30 chairs and one tent. There were a few small bottles of water.”
Priscilla says the parlour also used the wrong photo.
She says after the funeral, Mashwanyela harassed her husband for a further R900.
“His explanation was that the original plot was sold and he purchased one to the value of R700 and he made two new photos which cost R200,” says Priscilla.
“I again asked for clarity on the breakdown of the costs and he started avoiding my calls.
“On 25 January, I finally received a breakdown of the services which totalled to R21 253. I told him he overcharged us by R8 997 and he said that was his profit on the funeral.
“I have consulted with our legal adviser and taking this matter further. Mashwanyela asked to return the money by giving monthly payments of R500, I said no, I didn’t pay the funeral off in instalments,” Priscilla adds.
According to Mashwanyela, he has spoken to his lawyer.
“I’ve talked to Legal Aid and the matter is resolved,” he said.
Priscilla on Monday confirmed an agreement was reached and says she’s given Mashwanyela until 28 December 2019 to pay her back in one lump sum.