Zimpapers Logo

Gone are the days when rice, chicken and coleslaw were acceptable funeral fare. Now if you have a certain address, you need to lay out a sophisticated table for the hundreds of mourners coming to commiserate with you on your loss

Monica Cheru-Mpambawashe : Lifestyle Editor

Like many other urban Zimbabweans determined to fake while desperately praying they will soon make it, Tadiwa and Ropa are in seriously debt. The fancy mansion, the two cars in the garage, the Nollywood mansion type of furniture in the house, fees for the private schools for their two children all have balances owing on them. But they are used to it.

The entrepreneur wife (Ropa) and the professional husband (Tadiwa) are well used to juggling their money shortages and somehow making it through from one day to the next, one month to another while barely avoiding the ultimate embarrassment of being exposed as just another couple living way beyond their means.

They regularly discuss how they can make more money and how they can cut their spending without making it too obvious to the world but somehow they never get round to effecting the painful measures.

They could have gone on indefinitely believing that a change in fortunes is just around the corner; their ship would come in and they could really be rich instead of just pretending to be. Unfortunately a few weeks ago their eldest child, a 13 year old boy suddenly died. An undesirable but manageable situation rapidly deteriorated.

The expenses of burying their son have tilted the couple’s precarious finances into the realms of disaster. With death comes standard expenses including: death certification, burial space for urban areas, coffin, flowers, shroud, hearse, chaplain and transport for mourners. These add up to between $600 for the most basic to over $5000 for the de luxe end.

Many funeral policies cover the basic expenses so where there is insurance all these will be taken care of without undue financial pressure on the bereaved.

Tadiwa and Ropa’s son was covered under his father’s group employee funeral scheme.

The couple did not need to upgrade the services on offer because Tadiwa is an executive and his premium funeral insurance survived the cost cutting measures effected by his employer over the past few months.

But it turned out that the couple had no cover for a million other costs that they felt were mandatory to give their beloved son a befitting send off.

The real expenses of a funeral

“There are certain things that have become standard in this neighbourhood. The wake which is held on the eve of the burial is a big do. We had to hire a huge tent that cost us $500. It was raining that night but even if it hadn’t been we would still have gotten it because everyone else does it,” said the couple based in a premium northern Harare suburb.

“Then 600 chairs at one dollar for three also added up to another $200. There was the PA system, the camera people needing another $300. And we had to give the church leader who came to preside over the proceedings something.

“But the biggest cost ever was the meal which was served to around 200 people that night. We did not hire caterers and relied on family and friends but the food still added up to about three dollars per plate, so add another $1200 to the bill.”

On the day of the funeral itself the family ordered 50 T Shirts with images of the deceased, full colour A4 and A3 posters to mark out the funeral cortège.

Then there was the funeral lunch which naturally was served by professional caterers, although a farmer relative provided the meat and fresh produce including potatoes, butternuts, tomatoes and cabbages, which brought down the costs drastically.

Tadiwa and Ropa said they had a bill of over $3500.

Helpful friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues and churchmates pitched in with about $2000 in cash and kind which eased the burden somewhat but the couple still owes some service providers.

Memorial service ahead

The financial headache for Tadiwa and Ropa is set to increase as they host a memorial service (nyaradzo) for their son this weekend.

Memorial services have become part of the local culture with most families holding them within 45 days of the funeral.

“All those extra costs of the funeral are practically duplicated for the memorial service. We have hired a tent, chairs, caterers a PA system, camera people, the works.

“We also printed the programme and the hymns. This time we are buying the food as it would be too much to expect the relative who helped out at the funeral to repeat his generosity so soon,” Ropa enumerates the expenses.

So in total the couple say they were faced with a bill of about $7000 for associated funeral expenses.

They had absolutely no savings to fall back on as their money is always spent before its even made. To get their act in place, Tadiwa and Ropa got loans from three different institutions and arranged credit with some of their service providers.

Now in addition to everything else that they owe, they have that extra nightmare to sort out as they keep on faking their high end lifestyle while paying off their numerous debts.

Funerals: self-dug holes for the living?

The business development manager for a financial service provider says the answer to Tadiwa and Ropa’s dilemma would be funeral cover that pays out cash in addition to the traditional service provision plans:

“There are several packages on the market that you can access from a dollar per person per month. If the couple had a $5000 cover they could have met all those extra costs quite comfortably. As Zimbabweans we need to start placing value on insurance and making it work for us,” said the manager who declined to be identified.

But others feel that the wish to impress people instead of financial prudence is a disease that now pervades all aspects of the Zimbabwean psyche and that more and more yuppies and wannabes will continue to get into avoidable debt.

“I really do not see why they felt that they had to impress people instead of just mourning their son.

“These young people really take the spirit of showing off too far. If they had just held a decent funeral I do not believe anyone would think less of them for that. I really do not understand this push to make parties out of death.

“If you can afford it, I suppose that is fine. But if you can’t then just stick to a realistic budget,” suggests Ropa’s mother who says her advice was ignored by her daughter and son-in-law.

Ropa’s mother says in the middle class suburb where she lives they are still keeping it real:

“People do what they can. So some funerals are very classy and they cause a buzz. But most are ordinary and the departed are not mourned any less. Vana vemazuva ano vanofanira kudzidza kuti munhu wese haangave mupfumi. (These younger generations should just face the fact that not everyone in the world can live in the fabulous lane).”

Tadiwa and Ropa say that they felt this was the very last thing that they would ever do for their son and they were bound to make it the best. Perhaps they will not find this cold comfort when they fail to come up with due payments when the creditors (including their late son’s former school) come calling.

[email protected]