THE speed with which one’s remains
are repatriated back home depends on several factors. The availability
of funds and knowledge of the repatriation process are important. In
this article I shall attempt to share some of the “must know” details
to facilitate a quick repatriation for our loved ones from the UK. I
hope this article will find traction with colleagues in other diaspora
host countries to share their own experience.
We all came into the diaspora at different times and for different
reasons. As transnational citizens, we continue to travel forwards and
backwards from the host country to Zimbabwe. In case
of death the decision for our final resting place will be made by
others and the main determinant becomes the ability to finance the
burial process. Of course, it is pointless to leave a Will stating
that we need to be buried in Zimbabwe without leaving the funding.
Savings or liquidity provided by funeral cash plans like the Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan
becomes very handy. Helpers tend to be many when there is money to
fund the process otherwise many will rather restrict themselves to
pouring condolences on Facebook.
In the United Kingdom, C J Riley Funeral Services
are the most popular service providers for repatriating deceased
Zimbabweans. From my own experience and others who have used their
services, they have always provided excellent service. C J Reilly have
been the accredited repatriation partners for Diaspora Funeral Cash
Plan from inception nearly five years ago.
On receiving an enquiry about repatriation, C J Riley will ask for
the relatives to work with the Coroner to obtain a death certificate.
They will also ask for the deceased`s valid passport. At this stage a
copy will normally suffice. If the passport has expired then the
relatives have to organise a travel document through the Zimbabwe
Embassy. Armed with the notice of death and travel documents, the
undertaker will proceed to organise a certificate to take the deceased
out of the UK; and the certificate from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in Zimbabwe allows the body to get into the country. This
process, according to C J Reilly, takes up to 4 working days. Thus, it
is important to make sure that we all have a valid passport at all
times and equally important, that it is accessible. Keeping a file
with all important documents like insurance policies and
Identification documents is a good practice.
C J Reilley will normally take the deceased`s body from the hospital
mortuary and keep it in their parlour whilst they make removal
arrangements.
Our custom requires that the deceased`s clothes are also brought to
Zimbabwe so as to be dispersed after the burial. Relatives and friends
have to make separate arrangements for freight of these goods. The
deceased is treated as cargo and is not accompanied by any luggage.
Equally, relatives and friends also have to make separate arrangements
for travel. It might also be better to travel earlier than the
deceased so that they are there to receive the remains at Harare
airport.
Cost of undertaking services in UK
C J Riley currently charges £2 650 for services up to Harare
airport. It is up to the relatives and friends to arrange for a local
undertaker to take over the service once the body arrives at Harare
airport. Again, the need for funds comes into play. Provision for these
funds cannot be left to those assisting with our funeral. We need to
leave a legacy not debts and a bad taste in people’s mouths. People
always remember the last thing. How many times have we heard “Oh you
mean that useless chap whose burial was shambolic and left nothing for
his family”. The fact that one once drove a Mercedes Benz or lived in a
big house or was a former CEO is quickly lost to the new unfavourable
descriptions.
Memorial Service
Oftentimes, the relatives and friends will want to have a church
service to remember the deceased. This also provides an opportunity for
body viewing for those who would not be travelling to Zimbabwe. C J
Riley has a small chapel which can accommodate, at most, 15 people.
This is available as part of the free service to their customers. Some,
like myself, have enquired whether it would be alright to allow more
people into the small chapel in turns but keeping the number at 15 all
the times. C J Riley claims that they have encountered challenges with
this arrangement. They share the outside pavements with other
businesses who have previously complained about people blocking their
entrances. Funds allowing, a service and body viewing away from C J
Riley could be an option.
A service away from C J Riley comes with some costs. A nearby
Methodist church, with a capacity for 100 people, charges £240 per
hour. C J Riley charges £250 per hour to hire out their hearse and
staff. Venues far from their Parlour attract hire charges.
Burial in Zimbabwe
Today`s burials are a proper celebrations of life. Many Zimbabweans,
back home, have funeral policies. The policies come as a package.
Such packages would include a casket, a bus service, a video and food.
The assumption is that such provisions are a given for someone dying
in the diaspora. However, this is not always the case. This will
depend on whether the deceased had a diaspora funeral policy or had
enough savings or was a member of an employer`s benevolent fund. Some
diaspora communities, like churches, will have contributed enough
money to see the whole funeral process through. Of course these are
all assumptions. Burial societies have been known to struggle after
the passing on of the founders. Most burial societies or funeral groups
which existed at the turn of the century have since folded up.
Scandals and loss of capital due to wrong investment decisions have
left scars and destroyed relationships. Anyone hoping for a decent
burial must plan for it by using reputable and credible institutions
with strong asset bases. The Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan, which is a
guaranteed acceptance policy and permanently denominated as a US$ cash
policy, provides a definite source of cash within 24hours of
receiving notice of death. The Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan is
underwritten by Zimnat Life which is partly owned by Masawara Ltd which
is listed on the London Stock Exchange and also by Sanlam Life which,
as per 2014 balance sheet, was worth $152 billion.
Burial in the UK
According to C J Reilley, at least 2 deceased Zimbabweans are
repatriated home every week. It must be borne in mind that there are
other undertakers also involved in repatriating deceased Zimbabweans
back home. Thus, figures from C J Reilly should just be used as a guide
of the scale of the challenge facing the community. In a few cases,
Zimbabweans have been buried in the UK. Unless it becomes a pauper`s
burial the need for cash is always topping the burial agenda.
Conclusion
I write this piece as a concerned Zimbabwean. I have worked as a
community organiser in the Zimbabwean community and now as a Global
Sales Advisor for the Zimnat Diaspora Funeral Cash plan. Stories abound
when friends and relatives have died. Going through the funeral
process has been like groping in darkness. I trust that my fellow
countrymen and women will find this as a wakeup call to plan their
lives as if they were going to die tomorrow. That possibility is real.
We cannot continue to shy away from talking about what is a given. We
are going to die. Let us make it easy for those likely to survive us.
Let us not live a lie, living like kings only to be buried like
paupers, worse still, leave a trail of poverty. Death knows no station
in life.
This article was taken from NewZimbabwe.com. Jeff Sango is a Global Sales Advisor with Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan, which is
available to all Zimbabweans and Zambians worldwide including those
back home. .
