Musanani Burial Society members swearit is the panacea for dignified burial

PINI BOTHOKO
Correspondent | Friday January 18, 2013 00:00

 

In Ghana they make flamboyant designs of coffins. The hearses could be models of aeroplanes, houses, ships, vehicles or anything that the deceased was known to love or have, especially in abundance. In Botswana, some funerals assume acarnival atmosphere like weddings and birthday parties. There will be meat galore, fat cakes to go with endless pots of tea at the feet of old men sitting downcast on traditional stools by a crackling fireplace. mAt one funeral in Boteti, a cow was slaughtered every day until the day of burial - after two weeks - and on the day of interment, five more oxen, which could fetch a good price each at the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC), were put under the knife.

At such funerals, people have a choice of what they want. Some prefer goat meat over beef or coffee over 'Five Roses', or sorghum porridge to 'phaletshe'. Cynics, however, say it is the only time such people have a choice of what they want whereas at their homes, they would 'chow' on beef or guzzle 'Five Roses' like it is some bitter medicine, with little or no choice at all. At the end of it all, common comment is known to be, 'Rre yo o fitlhegile tota' (this man has been given a proper send -off). Woe-be-tied a funeral where there is no meat, or food in abundance, in the mould of Budaza's song 'Mokete o senang nama'. People only come on the day of the funeral, at times to merely help with loading of the coffin on to a ramshackle vehicle, or in some cases, a donkey cart. At such funerals vigils only last until 10pm when mouners are told to come the following day for the burial. Contrarily, wakes of the rich go on until the wee hours, or until the deceased is taken to their final resting place.

Sometimes, those left behind will be left with huge bills. However, despite the heartaches that follow, they usually comfort themselves with the fact that they buried their beloved with dignity.

The above scenarios are always a way of life for communities like Borolong where the rich, the not so rich and the poor live side by side. But with an organisation like Musanani Burial Society, which was established in 2001 at Natale, funerals without meat may be a thing of the past. Some residents of the village, who are now paid up members, are living contented lives with full knowledge that they will be buried with dignity. The money they will be getting from the society for the funeral will help in cushioning the costs after everyone else has gone to their respective homes. Members who spoke to Mmegi on Monday, and on Saturday on the sidelines of burial society's annual general meeting (AGM) argued that they have found the right panacea for the costs of their funerals. Government has on countless occasions, been forced to chip in to assist with funeral expenses and they end up spending thousands of Pulas burying citizens who cannot afford a dignified funeral. mThe members say at P35 per member and an additional P10 for each dependent, even those who are unemployed would be able to given 'a funeral with meat'. Mmegi spoke to Gadzani Philemon, 50, who works from home in Borolong, along the Orapa-Francistown road, as a tailor. Contentment was written all over her face as she relaxed under a shady tree in her yard, busying herself with picking out stems from a heap of bean vegetable (morogo wa dinawa) on a spread out sack. 'I am a free woman. I know that if anything happens to me, or any of my family members we are all covered. We joined  the society early last year and we are proud to have done so,' she said. Philemon heard about Musanani Burial Society a long time ago but procrastinated about joining. But ever since she joined she is proud to preach to all and sundry about the benefits of being a member of the society. 'It is very cheap. I am unemployed but I can do anything to acquire the P35 fee which is paid per month. Even the joining fee of P250 is not that bad. I encourage all Batswana to make hay while the sun shines,' said Philemon. She said that when death occurs in a home, people cry not just because they have lost their loved one, but they also weep wondering how they were going to meet funeral costs. She said that it was time to relieve social workers and councillors who are always made to run helter skelter looking for a coffin to be used for the interment of a person whose relatives are unable to help out.

Philemon also encouraged parents to utilise their old age pension to subscribe to the society so as not to put pressure on their children for their own burials. Headman of Sebina ward in Borolong, Botogile Padipadi, a married father of two daughters said he is proud of Musanani Burial Society because they know the lifestyles of Batswana and their subscription tariffs are reasonable.

'Even if you are not working or you are a pensioner they allow you to register with them. I have found my second home at the society where I have put my trust in them so as to save my burial money with them,' he said. He further said though it is not his first insurance, he is proud to say that now that his death is covered, if something happens, his wife and children will not have to stress about his burial. 'They withdraw someone's contract after six months for failure to pay. That is why I say they understand the lives of us Batswana.

I have faith in them and encourage fellow Batswana to join up or come with their own burial societies in their respective villages,' Padipadi gushed. Padipadi, who is in his 60s, said he is not afraid to die anymore because he knows that everything will be covered. Another member 50 year old Florah Molapisi, a mother of four children and two grandchildren said she was happy to have discovered a burial society like Musanani after she had to withdraw from Botswana Life Insurance because she was no longer working.

'I joined the society last year after I stopped working. I have not buried anyone with it yet, but have seen it helping people in the village. It is affordable and all of my children are covered. I am not afraid of the future anymore,' she said contentedly. Molapisi said with the little profit she makes from selling chickens in her yard she is able to pay her monthly installments at the society and calls on other Batswana to see the best in it. 'It has benefits The society gives out free chairs, tent and a generator in case where there is no electricity when there is a funeral,' she said. On Saturday, scores of villagers including those from neighbouring villages like Makobo, Borolong and Chadibe converged for the Musanani Burial Society's AGM in Natale to, among others, elect a new committee and also update members about progress the society had made in its 10 years of existence. The society has 279 active members who pay a monthly subscription fee of P35 and P10 per month for each dependent.