Funeral parlours in dog fight over brand name

NEWLY established funeral services company Runyaradzo Funeral Services, has stirred the ire of Nyaradzo Group, as one would suggest that the company is a mere copycat of the renowned funeral company.

Runyaradzo eerily possesses striking similarities with Nyaradzo, if the colour scheme and logo are compared, not to mention the name.

Runyaradzo, which is said to be a partnership between local businessmen, was established in Bulawayo about a month ago and is reportedly headquartered in South Africa. Since Runyaradzo was established and "unofficially" launched in Bulawayo it has raised questions about its authenticity and has even reportedly confused some members of the public, owing much to its colour scheme — gold and blue.

Runyaradzo Funeral Services manager, Maxwell Mathuthu, perhaps in response to a vehement public notice posted by Nyaradzo, distancing itself from the company, ironically told Sunday Life last week that the company had in no way infringed Nyaradzo, as it sought to be a competitor in the industry.

"We are seeking to establish ourselves in other cities. Our company motto states that it is a place of comfort in times of grief.

This is what it means to us. People must not confuse us with Nyaradzo. Our colours are very distinctive and so is our logo. We are not part of them, we are different," said Mathuthu.

Nyaradzo posted a public notice in the media advising the public that they were not part of Runyaradzo.

"Nyaradzo Life Assurance Company wishes to advise members of the public that there is a funeral services company based in Bulawayo trading under the name Runyaradzo Funeral Services. Runyaradzo does not have any relationship whatsoever with Nyaradzo Funeral Services.

"Members of the public are advised that Nyaradzo's Bulawayo offices and palours are located in Donnington, J N Nkomo street and Jason Moyo street respectively. Please be guided accordingly," read the public notice.

Mathuthu however, noted that Runyaradzo was surprised at what the commotion was about, stating that they had not officially launched the company nor rendered services to anyone.

"We haven't started offering our services. We only have been marketing ourselves. We are actually wondering what the hullabaloo is about. We are wondering why people are making all this noise. We just want to be a family in the industry with no fights. Through our research we have derived that we are acceptable in the market and are a viable player. We will be launching very soon as we are nearing completion of our company," said Mathuthu.