Grieving family members confronted staff at an insurance firm with the lifeless body of their relative as the company refused to give payment until they present more proof that he passed away.
Thandaza Mtshali and Ntombenhle Mhlongo were filmed taking the lifeless body of their uncle Sifiso Justice Mhlongo into an Old Mutual branch in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.
They said that the plans for the funeral were delayed as the £1,700 didn’t arrive even after nine days due to some issues over paperwork. This means the tribal rites for Mr. Mhlongo, their uncle who passed away at the age of 46, couldn’t be performed.
“We are not rich people. We are poor and they were refusing to pay us. We are still so heartbroken,” said Ntombenhle to News 24.
“We kept going back but they kept stonewalling and we were angry, frustrated and just wanted to make sure we could properly prepare and bury him.
“We thought if the documents do not give them enough answers then maybe the body will.”
The clip showed the women carrying Sifiso’s corpse inside a bag and laid it out inside the bank.
Witnesses said that the staff were horrified as the two took the corpse inside and placed the body on the floor.
Local media reported that the women gave the paperwork for their uncle’s insurance claim along with his death certificate and ID.
The women also told staff that they wouldn’t leave until the company paid out the claims in full.
“As soon as the ladies were promised they would be paid they marched back inside the office and in front of the counter grabbed an end each and carried the corpse back out,” said the witness.
“Two men went to their aid and helped them manoeuvre the body bag into the boot of the car that they brought the body in and people were just watching open mouthed as all this was played out.”
He added: “The women said a loved one was inside the body bag and that bringing him to the Old Mutual office seemed to be the only way to prove their claim to them that he had actually passed away.”
Old Mutual said that 99 percent of claims are paid out within 8 hours. “Due to the sensitive nature of this matter we will continue engaging directly with the family.”
A National Funeral Practitioners Association of SA spokesperson said that the organization would consider taking legal action against the insurance company.
“When the body was taken from the mortuary to the Old Mutual it was out of anger so the rituals that were supposed to be done to move the body from one place to another were not done,” said spokesperson Muzi Hlengwa.
“The soul of that man is still left at the Old Mutual so they will have to cover the costs of performing these rituals.”
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Replaced!