News / National
Corpse's shoes stolen at funeral parlour
5 hrs ago |
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A Bulawayo family is demanding answers from Kingdom Blue Funeral Services after a shocking ordeal that has sparked public outrage and once again placed the controversial funeral home under scrutiny.
The family of the late Benjamin Tshuma alleges that the company's Johannesburg branch stole the deceased's shoes, neglected to properly clean his body, and even used the funeral vehicle meant for mourners to transport illegal immigrants.
Benjamin's brother, Beven Tshuma, took to Facebook to share his anger and heartbreak, calling Kingdom Blue "the biggest funeral scammer ever." He said the family paid R32,900 for services to repatriate his brother's body from Upington, South Africa, to Bulawayo - only to experience what he described as "a nightmare."
"His body wasn't properly washed, just splashed with water," Beven said. "When I asked to wash him myself, they refused, claiming he had been injected and couldn't be touched."
The worst discovery came upon arrival in Bulawayo.
"When the coffin was opened, I found my brother's shoes missing. Those shoes were left with the parlour for dressing. Later they brought a cheap pair from a street vendor and said it was a mistake. I believe they steal from corpses because most families never check," he alleged.
Tshuma further claimed that the hearse used for their journey back to South Africa was turned into a cross-border taxi for undocumented passengers.
"The driver picked up border jumpers along the way. Even though we had valid passports, we were forced to pay bribes at roadblocks and the border. It was humiliating," he said.
When contacted for comment, Kingdom Blue's Marketing Director, Mbongiseni Ncube, dismissed the family's complaints, saying, "We are aware of the issue and have since sorted it out. Now that he's writing whatever he wants on Facebook, what does he expect us to do?"
This latest controversy adds to a string of scandals that have dogged Kingdom Blue.
In 2023, two Bulawayo families buried the wrong bodies following a mix-up at the company's Kelvin branch. The incident sparked a public protest that forced operations to shut down temporarily.
A year earlier, The Devi Show, a South African investigative programme, exposed the firm for allegedly defrauding clients and failing to honour policy payouts, branding it "a scam disguised as a service."
Now, with new accusations of theft and negligence, the company's reputation is again in tatters.
For Beven Tshuma and his family, no amount of explanation can undo the pain.
"Those shoes were stolen - they only returned them after the burial. The damage was already done. They stripped my brother of his dignity," he said.
Kingdom Blue, once seen as a trusted regional funeral brand, now faces mounting questions about whether it honours the very promise its business is built on - to give the dead a dignified farewell.
The family of the late Benjamin Tshuma alleges that the company's Johannesburg branch stole the deceased's shoes, neglected to properly clean his body, and even used the funeral vehicle meant for mourners to transport illegal immigrants.
Benjamin's brother, Beven Tshuma, took to Facebook to share his anger and heartbreak, calling Kingdom Blue "the biggest funeral scammer ever." He said the family paid R32,900 for services to repatriate his brother's body from Upington, South Africa, to Bulawayo - only to experience what he described as "a nightmare."
"His body wasn't properly washed, just splashed with water," Beven said. "When I asked to wash him myself, they refused, claiming he had been injected and couldn't be touched."
The worst discovery came upon arrival in Bulawayo.
"When the coffin was opened, I found my brother's shoes missing. Those shoes were left with the parlour for dressing. Later they brought a cheap pair from a street vendor and said it was a mistake. I believe they steal from corpses because most families never check," he alleged.
Tshuma further claimed that the hearse used for their journey back to South Africa was turned into a cross-border taxi for undocumented passengers.
"The driver picked up border jumpers along the way. Even though we had valid passports, we were forced to pay bribes at roadblocks and the border. It was humiliating," he said.
When contacted for comment, Kingdom Blue's Marketing Director, Mbongiseni Ncube, dismissed the family's complaints, saying, "We are aware of the issue and have since sorted it out. Now that he's writing whatever he wants on Facebook, what does he expect us to do?"
This latest controversy adds to a string of scandals that have dogged Kingdom Blue.
In 2023, two Bulawayo families buried the wrong bodies following a mix-up at the company's Kelvin branch. The incident sparked a public protest that forced operations to shut down temporarily.
A year earlier, The Devi Show, a South African investigative programme, exposed the firm for allegedly defrauding clients and failing to honour policy payouts, branding it "a scam disguised as a service."
Now, with new accusations of theft and negligence, the company's reputation is again in tatters.
For Beven Tshuma and his family, no amount of explanation can undo the pain.
"Those shoes were stolen - they only returned them after the burial. The damage was already done. They stripped my brother of his dignity," he said.
Kingdom Blue, once seen as a trusted regional funeral brand, now faces mounting questions about whether it honours the very promise its business is built on - to give the dead a dignified farewell.
Source - bmetro
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