We Had No Choice

DRUM speaks to the family of the man whose corpse was brought to an insurer’s office when their policy wasn’t wasn’t paid

THE women carefully placed the heavy blue bag against a wall, then disappeared into an office before leaving the building. Half an hour later they were back, picking up the straps at the end of the body bag and shuffling out of the Old Mutual office in KwaDukuza, north of Durban.

All this was captured on video – a recording that went viral and caused a countrywide outcry. The bag contained the body of Sifiso Mtshali, the uncle of Thandaza Mtshali (30) and Ntombenhle Mhlongo (36), the two people who carried the bag.

And the reason they did so was because they became frustrated that Old Mutual wouldn’t pay out the funeral policy. So they brought the body to the office so staff could see for themselves their uncle was dead and perform whatever “assessments” they needed to.

The footage of her father being carried around in a bag will haunt her for the rest of her life, says Sifiso’s daughter, Nombulelo Ngidi (22).

She doesn’t blame her cousins for dragging her dad’s body to the insurer’s offices – it’s the fact her family felt they had no choice but to take such drastic measures that upsets her so much.

“It’s the most excruciating pain I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Nombulelo says.

“That was my father, and [Old Mutual] made a mockery of his death. It will take a lifetime before I forget the pain they caused me.”

Nombulelo is nonetheless grateful the incident was captured and shared on social media. “If there was no video the whole thing would’ve been swept under the carpet. I’d like to thank whoever took that clip – they did us a huge favour,” she says.

Nombulelo was at her father’s home in Madundube outside Stanger when the drama unfolded, she tells us.