Funeral industry feels the pinch of power cuts

JOHANNESBURG - The funeral industry is spending hundreds of millions of rand to keep businesses afloat.

That's according to National Funeral Directors Association President, Lawrence Konyana.

Funerals in South Africa cost between R12,000 to R60,000 on average.

More elaborate sendoffs can cost as much as R150,000.

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Most funeral parlours have invested in backup solutions to cope, but it has also resulted in significant increases in operational costs.

"We did some calculations as an industry and we discovered that we're spending around R160-million annually for diesel and petrol," Konyana said.

"We know of some funeral businesses that have already closed shop because of these significant rises in costs due to load-shedding and other things.

"It is quite impacting because you're running a generator almost 24/7."