Funeral Services and Related Activities in South Africa 2022

Funeral Services and Related Activities in South Africa

The funeral services industry in South Africa has been growing at around 12% annually. While undertakers and funeral parlours played critical roles during the pandemic, there were many challenges, especially for small funeral operators. Industry players say that growing demand for burial space needs to be addressed urgently. The bulk of the industry is made up of small businesses serving local communities. A significant number of these do not have certificates of competence and operate in the informal funeral services sector.

Pandemic Challenges

The funeral industry has been overwhelmed with the increase in deaths over the past 18 months. Regulations for funerals have been changing according to the Disaster Management Act regulations alert levels and new requirements for handling bodies of people who were infected with the virus were introduced. Funerals have been identified as high-risk sites of COVID-19 infection. Funeral parlours have significantly increased burial and cremation prices during the pandemic, citing increased costs.

Repatriation

With South Africa’s large community of immigrants, the repatriation of bodies is a critical part of the industry. The costs to Zimbabwe, for example, average about R10,000 by road, and R15,000 by air, which include the costs of paperwork, embalming and a coffin. High costs and red tape mean that many bodies are secretly transported.

Report Coverage

This report focuses on the funeral services industry and related services in South Africa. It includes information on the effects of the pandemic on the industry, developments, notable players and key trends. There are profiles of 17 companies including major players such as AVBOB, Doves and Mosaic Funerals, burial societies such as Tshebedisano Burial Society And Calgro M3, which develops memorial parks.