SA-based Zimbabweans launch funeral plan

MIGRANT Workers’ Union of South Africa (Miwusa) and Ness Consulting last week launched a funeral plan for Zimbabweans in South Africa, amid concerns many Zimbabweans were struggling to meet funeral costs in case of deaths while in foreign lands.

Source: SA-based Zimbabweans launch funeral plan – NewsDay Zimbabwe September 12, 2016

BY SILAS NKALA

A statement from Miwusa said the Heritage Funeral Plan was launched at Yeoville Recreation Centre to facilitate the repatriation of remains of South Africa-based Zimbabweans.

Speaking at the launch, Ness Consulting product development manager, Thabang Motea, said: “As Africans, we at Ness Consulting realise the importance of having your bones buried in your home country. Though I am South African myself, if I was working elsewhere outside my home country, I would want the same, that is why we have decided to give migrants a cheap option to have their bodies repatriated.”

Migrants can be covered from between R15 000 to R35 000. The first phase of the funeral plan will cover Zimbabwean migrants and their immediate families, but will be later extended to other nationalities in South Africa.

“Miwusa’s core function is to enhance the lives of migrants in South Africa, but we have managed to make this unique product available to Zimbabweans, through Sanlam,” Motea said.

The plan, which currently starts from R85 (depending on how much cover a client wants) covers the client, their spouse and up to five of their children.

“Right now it only covers the immediate family, but we are working to include the extended family, given that we understand that Africans have extended families beyond the Eurocentric concept of family, but we have had to start from somewhere,” Motea said.

The funeral plan is underwritten by South Africa’s leading financial services provider, Sanlam.

Motea said clients would receive their benefits in cash so they decide how they would want to use the money.

“That is how we are different from other companies because we don’t dictate which service providers clients should use, but can refer them to service providers,” Motea said.

He said what was needed to qualify, besides being below 84 years old, was a passport showing that one had entered South Africa.

“We are not Home Affairs and do not care what you are doing here or whether your work permit has expired or what, but we just need a stamped passport, largely to prevent fraud, nothing more and nothing less, whether you are legally here or not is not our business, “ Motea said.

He said if a client’s documents were in order, the claim would be processed within 48 hours.