There is a lack of coordination between undertakers, environmentalists and local government.
The Role of Local Economic Development and Environmental Health in the Emerging Funeral Home Sector in Mpumalanga, South Africa
Dr
Bulelwa Maphela
(She/Her)
Senior Lecturer
University of Johannesburg
I am a senior Lecturer at the School of Economics of the University of Johannesburg. My current research focuses on the challenges of service provision in the townships.
South African
There is a lack of coordination between undertakers, environmentalists and local government.
About
The efforts of the different parts of the chain from undertaker, to environmentalist to local government are too disaggregated. There needs to be better coordination, because access to undertakers is very important for families when their close ones die.
Emerging undertakers have issues with complying with environmental prescripts when handling human remains. Noncompliance is very high and environmentalists have to shut down lots of undertakers. The problem with that is that undertakers provide a necessary services.
They need help, because there are very few undertakers with sufficient storage to host lots of remains. When we look at the national development plan, one of the objectives is to support emerging businesses. Why is the business of human remains management not part of these emerging businesses.
The purpose of this paper was to find out what was missing.
Key Findings
Environmentalists issue warnings, but there is no other follow-up except shutting down the undertaker. Undertakers, after being found that they are non-compliant, they don't know who to talk to. This creates an issue for the duties of the environmentalists, because if everyone starts opening funeral parlours, it can be dangerous for the environment. The local governments do not support the business of human remains.
How to use
Within local government a dialogue has to begin between the Environmental Health office (EHP) and the Local Economic Development (LEDP). This is not to enforce, but a discussion to highlight the business challenges of the emerging funeral directors that lead to directors struggles with non-compliance.
The Environmental health guidelines cannot be changed because of possible environmental consequences that may ensue. The local government has to open up their strategies in order for LEDP to have a wider scope.
Emerging funeral directors provide a much needed service in communities. They do want to follow the guidelines of human remains management. However because of despair, not knowing who to talk to when they are found to be non-compliant, they continue to operate in the space of human remains management. Since this is the case, starting a dialogue may assist in making sure that the services are provided in accordance with the guidelines.
There are emerging funeral directors who are fully compliant, there are those who wish to be like their peers in the industry, but because of starting this business from a disadvantaged background, and serving disadvantaged communities, they are left with no other option, but to serve their communities, regardless of their status of compliance.
The full paper is not available open access
Maphela, B. (2021). The Role of Local Economic Development and Environmental Health in the Emerging Funeral Home Sector in Mpumalanaga, South Africa. African Journal of Development Studies, 11(4), 117-137
About this research
This research was independently conducted and did not receive funding from outside of the university.
Recommended for
UN Sustainable Development Goals
This research contributes to the following SDGs
About this research
This research was independently conducted and did not receive funding from outside of the university.
Recommended for
What it means
The funeral directors have embarked on several strikes where one of the major grievances was that of not having a compliance certificate, though operational. Most of them are very small to run a mortuary because of the requirements. They end up outsourcing to established ones, where the certificate of compliance only belongs to the owner of the storage. When they have to collect human remains for their clients, in most cases they are not allowed, since they do not have the document.
They have opted that, the government should provide them with assistance to establish bulk storage, in order for the smaller ones to rent space.
They resorted into a three day strike, where no collection of human remains was allowed, from forensic, hospitals and homes. This strike had a potential of causing trauma.
Eventually the Department of Health listened, and in certain situations like collection of human remains for storage was not required. But this does not help the EHP who is supposed to inspect where the remains are stored.
Methodology
This research was completed by conducting semi-structured, qualitative interviews of undertakers, environmentalists and local government officials.
The two provinces where the research was made are not a representative sample. The research is not very generalisable.
Glossary
Emerging funeral directors/undertakers
Funeral directors/undertakers are considered emerging when their profits, services, costs and where they are in the scale of growth of their businesses. That is even if they have been operating for a long time. Oftentimes, their situation is due to the costs of compliance to environmental prescripts. They prefer to operate at a sub-optimal, emerging level and not get into much trouble.
Local Economic Development Practitioner (LEDP)
LEDP is a notion that existed prior to the research, but this research was concerned with what an LEDP is within the context of human remains management. The role of LEDPs in the context of human remains management is double, because they both have to look at the environmental and the business aspects.
Synergy
The local economic development office and the environmental office in South Africa should be working hand in hand. There was no synergy between them and that is was caused issues.
Let your research make a social impact
Antoine Germain prepared this research following an interview with Bulelwa Maphela.
