'There is not a day that we are quiet': funeral parlours on soaring death rate

The council analyses both natural and unnatural causes of death. Gauteng’s natural deaths are 106% higher compared to previous years, with the province recording an excess of 8,269 natural deaths. Between May 6 and July 28, Johannesburg recorded an excess of 2,988 natural deaths, Ekurhuleni 2,521 and Tshwane 1,157.

“It is not unexpected that the excess natural deaths reported are higher than the official Covid-19 deaths report,” council president and CEO Prof Glenda Gray said last week. He said the deaths related to people not collecting chronic medication from doctors because of coronavirus infection fears as well as from Covid-19.

“In July last year we conducted 1,500 funerals in Gauteng, 800 in Western Cape, 600 in KwaZulu-Natal and 500 in the Eastern Cape.” Jodene Smith, Doves funeral parlour MD, said they had seen a “big jump” in the funerals they had done in June and July, with their funeral numbers doubling, while “compared to July last year, we have had 30% increase in the number of funerals we have done this year.”Declining to provide actual funeral numbers, she said 40% of the funerals were Covid-19 related deaths.Our staff work late into the night to keep up with the work.

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