THE MOHLALA family members are worried that for many years, they’ve been praying to the wrong ancestors.
Gogo Herminah died seven years ago, but she’s not resting peacefully in her grave.
“I NEED TO BE DRESSED BECAUSE I AM COLD!” THE DEAD GOGO COMPLAINS.
The Mohlala family from Etwatwa, Ekurhuleni, discovered the confusion when members erected a tombstone for gogo Herminah Mohlala in 2020.
She was born on 13 April 1923 and died on 11 November 2015.
She was buried 10 days later at Phumlani Cemetery on 21 November. But now confusion reigns because of grave numbers.
Her granddaughter, Lebogang (34), said on the day of the burial, the family was given grave number 864 in section AC.
But when they sent a company to erect a tombstone for their beloved gogo, the cemetery gave the funeral parlour grave number 863 knowing that their grandmother was lying in grave 864.
But then the problem deepened.
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“When we checked in their books, number 864 did not appear, but there were two 863s,” said Lebogang.
“We are confused. We are not even sure if our requests are going to the right ancestor.”
Lebogang said she and her younger sister were now getting dreams from their gogo, who was asking to be dressed. This, they believed, meant that she wanted a tombstone.
However, they had no idea which grave belonged to gogo and whether the tombstone erected was on the right one.
Lebogang said they wanted the funeral undertaker who buried the body next to their gogo to help them resolve the matter.
Daily Sun spoke to Thabo Msiza of Sunshine Funeral Parlour in Daveyton, the undertaker of the second grave.
He said the grave that he attended to was the right one, and the Mohlala family needed to blame the cemetery for causing the mess.
“I have never received a complaint from my clients,” he said.
Sangoma Mangotweni Khoza said the gogo’s dream, that she was not clothed, could be a way of telling them that the tombstone was placed on the wrong grave.
“It will help if they consult with a sangoma who will tell them which is the right grave,” said Khoza.
Ekurhuleni municipal spokesman Zweli Dlamini said: “The family must go to the customer care centre in Etwatwa and see the manager, who will then investigate their case.”
