The family struggled for about three hours at the cemetery as they could not fit the coffin into the grave.
A KIMBERLEY family has spoken out regarding their traumatic experience of having to personally enlarge the grave of a loved one, Derrick Doman, during his funeral service at the West End Cemetery.
Doman, who was 52, died from a Covid-19-related illness after spending three weeks in ICU.
The Esterhuyzen family said yesterday that the funeral service was held on Friday last week and that municipal workers had allegedly disappeared from the gravesite, leaving behind four shovels.
The funeral service was conducted by Avbob, and the Esterhuyzen family said that they expected the service provider to oversee all matters related to the burial.
The funeral service started at a local church at 11am and proceeded to the gravesite at noon.
Doman was to be buried on top of his wife, who died from cancer eight years ago.
The family said that they struggled for about three hours at the cemetery as they could not fit the coffin into the grave.
They added that they had specifically requested a larger grave in advance.
The family explained that they had to order a special coffin because the deceased was “a big man”.
They said that family members were forced to try and enlarge the grave after they had narrowed the width of the coffin by unscrewing some of its parts.
During their struggle, the coffin lid slid open.
Besides the shock and trauma, the family also expressed their fear that some people at the service might have been exposed to Covid-19 when the deceased’s body was exposed.
They said on Thursday that they are still awaiting answers from those responsible for the grave blunder.
They pointed out that clarity on the matter and an apology would set them at ease because “no amount of money can reduce our pain”.
Both Avbob and the Sol Plaatje Municipality have acknowledged that they were aware of the need for a larger grave and that the grave and coffin measurements were taken three times before the burial. However, on the day of the funeral, the measurements were still inaccurate.
Avbob said this week that they had made it clear that the grave was still too small, while the municipality claims that it had been agreed that the grave was fine.
The deceased’ sister-in-law, Petro Esterhuyzen, said that they have sought psychological help for the affected family members and children.
“The children were left traumatised after seeing the body of their father wrapped in plastic inside the coffin,” said Esterhuyzen.
She said that on the day of the service the municipal workers had “disappeared”.
“Even when we left for home there were no municipal workers in sight.”
She said that the family have also been left upset and frustrated because no one from the municipality nor from Avbob has come back to them with regards to the matter.
“We expected Avbob to have provided all the services we paid for. They knew and understood very well the kind of service we required,” said Esterhuyzen.
“We had to pay for a special coffin to be used … and it was a Covid-19 funeral.
“The last time we communicated with Avbob was on the Friday morning, when we finalised that they should meet us at the church as the service will only take 30 minutes.
“They never came back to us after the funeral. They kept on promising that the manager would come back to me when I phoned and demanded answers.”
Avbob this week confirmed that it was aware of the incident and that the family is a client of theirs.
Avbob spokesperson Pieter van der Westhuizen said that the municipality was informed that the grave was too small after the necessary measurements were taken three times.
“The municipality was informed that for the burial we would require an oversized grave due to the size of the deceased. Our Kimberley branch provided the necessary measurements to the foremen and also inspected the gravesite. Our Kimberley branch further inspected the gravesite on three occasions and indicated to the foreman that the gravesite was too small and that it should be adjusted accordingly,” said Van der Westhuizen.
“We regret the unfortunate outcome and impact of this incident, which understandably added to the bereavement of the family.
“Avbob is attending to the incident as a matter of urgency, with a view to reaching an amicable resolution with our client,”
The Sol Plaatje Municipality apologised to the family.
Municipal spokesperson Sello Matsie said a grave was dug based on the measurements provided by the undertakers.
“We were informed that this was a special funeral and that the standard graves that we dig would not apply. We were also informed that the family had to use a bigger coffin due to the size of the deceased.
“Adjustments continued to be made on the grave after measurements were given. Our senior supervisor was communicating with Avbob and they performed the final inspection together, where Avbob said they were happy,” said Matsie.
He added that the municipality would look into the alleged conduct of the municipal workers who were supposed to be on site.
Matsie also mentioned that it was always better to have an agreement in place with the undertakers and the municipality as to who would close the grave after the coffin is lowered.
“We differ in cultures and in the manner in which we perform our services. Some people make an arrangement on who they prefer to close the grave, while others close their own graves. The municipality can provide spades.
“We won’t run away from a request that is presented to us. But in cases of a Covid-19 funeral, the undertakers have to ensure that the first level of the soil is covering the coffin so that nothing is exposed,” explained Matsie.
“We don’t want to traumatise those who are already grieving and we also don’t want a public shouting match during such a difficult time.”
