When Theunis Kirsten’s body ended up at Makinana Funeral Parlour, a row broke out which left both sides bruised and angry.
Kirsten’s body was taken from his Quigney apartment last week and stored at the funeral parlour before it could go to a state parlour for autopsy, with the family having to fork out R3,500 to have his body released – which they claim was never explained to them.
And now the East London police have opened an inquiry into how Kirsten’s body was transferred to a private funeral parlour that buries paupers on behalf of the state, even though he has a family.
Kirsten’s family are also livid after it took about five days for Makinana to release the body, as the parlour wanted to be paid for storage and other services.
The family claim they were told they would not have to pay.
However, Makinana said he was a private business owner and would never have offered free services for someone who had a family.
Kirsten’s ex-wife, Cheryl, who lives in Durban, said she was the first person to be informed about her ex-husband’s death.
However, she said confusion began when she was told over the phone that a private parlour was on the scene to collect the body.
“I was phoned at 2.50pm on Monday October 8 by the landlord informing me about his death. He said he had informed the police and ambulance.
“At 5.25pm I got another call from the police. They said because they couldn’t reach anyone [a family member], they fetched Makinana because they are contracted to the state,” she said.
She then gave consent to a Makinana representative to take the body after she was guaranteed there would be no cost.
The funeral parlour owner disputed this.
“We were called by the police and told the deceased had been dead and laying there for some time. Someone in Durban gave the police permission to instruct us to take the body,” Makinana said.
“We then inquired who will pay us and the lady in Durban said that they will pay.”
He said when the family arrived to collect the body, they were given a R3,500 bill.
“The following day they came with their parlour and told us they will never use our parlour as it is for blacks, they want a parlour that buries white people,” he further alleges.
Cheryl did not dispute this, saying her ex-husband was a “white man” and Makinana was an “African funeral parlour” and his body shouldn’t have been there.
Kirsten’s eldest daughter Sacha, who lives in England, said the family were upset at how the police and Makinana had handled the matter, as they now had to deal with their father’s death and the battle to get his body.
Cheryl said the family would seek legal advice and “lay a charge against both the Fleet Street police station and Makinana”.
East London police spokesperson Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said it is alleged that Kirsten’s family were out of the country, and according to the investigating officer, the undertaker took the body because they also deal with pauper burials.
Mqala said the investigating officer said he had explained “everything” to the family.
Kirsten was cremated on Friday...