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PAT’S CORPSE STUCK IN SA

25/09/2020 22:17:00 BY THEMBA ZWANE

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MANZINI – The family of deceased Manzini Wanderers Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pat Mahlalela is faced with a huge dilemma.

This is because the corpse of the ‘Weslians’ Management Committee (MC) member is currently stuck in neighbouring South Africa.

Yesterday, it was Mahlalela’s memorial service at the Divine Healing Ministries in Manzini and the plan was to have his funeral tomorrow morning at Mkhuzweni in the Hhohho region.

However, the funeral is now in limbo due to the fact that the deceased’s corpse is stuck in South Africa as a result of strict border COVID-19 restrictions.

For the record, Mahlalela did not die of COVID-19 related complications but succumbed to kidney and liver failure, according to his relatives.

A relative who preferred anonymity, explained that due to the spread of COVID-19, any corpse which was to cross the border had to first undergo embalming.

“Embalming is the process whereby health practitioners would inject the corpse with a certain medical chemical which helps prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is done as a safety precaution measure regardless of whether the person died of COVID-19 or not,” he said.

Brother to the deceased, Muzi Mahlalela, informed mourners at the end of the memorial service when making announcements that they were crossing fingers as a family to actually have the funeral held tomorrow morning. This was after he admitted that they were facing challenges in the repatriation of his brother’s body into the kingdom.

“The family has sent me to announce that we are having challenges in repatriating Pat’s body into the country. His corpse is currently stuck in South Africa. There is a possibility that we might be forced to postpone his funeral as the plan was to have it on Sunday (tomorrow),” said Muzi.

anticipated

He added that their biggest let down was the fact that they had not anticipated South Africa’s public holiday on Thursday, where there was a delay as people were not working on the day, including the officer who is responsible for paperwork of repatriation of the body.

The family’s prayer now is to have the corpse transported into the country today (Friday) so that the funeral would proceed as planned tomorrow.

Meanwhile, high costs are involved in the repatriation of a corpse. However, the family disclosed that the undertakers were handling such matters as the deceased’s funeral was catered for through a medical cover.

“All the costs, including burial, and the casket as well as repatriation are covered for in the medical cover. It is hard therefore to single out one expense as everything had been paid to the undertakers,” said a family member. Pat succumbed to an illness while in South Africa where he was undergoing treatment. It now costs an individual around E1 400 to travel to South Africa.