A Zimbabwean family is struggling with a challenge faced by many migrants in South Africa: the difficulty of bringing loved ones home after death, as rising costs place burial far from reach.
Three brothers, Shein Moyo, Shelton Moyo and Mike Nkala, were among five people shot dead by unknown gunmen outside a tuck shop in Jeffsville, Atteridgeville, on Wednesday.
A challenge to transport the bodies to Zimbabwe
As police investigations continue, the family is now confronted with another crisis: how to transport their bodies back to Zimbabwe for burial.
“It’s devastating, hard to believe,” said Lucky Mncube, the uncle of the deceased as reported by IOL.
He said the family is struggling to afford the cost of transporting the bodies to Zimbabwe for burial.
How much will it cost the family to transport the bodies?
According to Mncube, it will cost at least R20 000 to transport each body from South Africa to Zimbabwe, a total of about R60 000 for the three brothers alone.
The situation is worsened by regulations that prohibit transporting more than one body in a single hearse.
“Each one must be transported separately. The law does not allow two bodies in one vehicle,” Mncube explained. “We don’t have that money.”
The brothers had been doing piece jobs to survive, sending what little they could back home.
Their sudden deaths have left the family without both breadwinners and burial funds.
A mother waiting for answers — and for her sons
Back in Zimbabwe, the brothers’ mother is waiting for her sons to return home, not alive, but for burial. Family members say she is demanding answers they simply do not have.
“What is painful is that their mother back home is also seeking answers from us and we don’t know what to tell her because we are also in the dark,” said Mncube.
For many Zimbabwean families, burial at home is not just a tradition but a cultural obligation.
Delayed burials, caused by financial constraints, often deepen emotional trauma and leave families feeling they have failed their loved ones.
