TSAKANE, GP - A Tsakane family is enduring double the trauma following the stillborn birth of their child. The family cannot afford to bury the deceased.
At the same time, the local government’s contract with undertakers to assist those who don't have the means has lapsed.
They are one of many families whose lives have been put on hold as they try to come up with money for funerals.
A 28-year-old woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was admitted to hospital with cramps last month. She was pregnant at the time.
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Following an examination from the staff she was taken to theatre where an operation was performed to the remove the baby who was stillborn.
The mother of two admits she hid the pregnancy from her family. Neither she nor her siblings are currently employed. They rely on their matriarch's old-age grant as the main source of income.
In the course of burial arrangements for the stillborn, the family appears to have finalised submitting documentation a few days after the three-year contract between the municipality and funeral parlours lapsed
By: Hloni Mtimkulu