Mangwe Family Buried The Wrong Body After Mortuary Mix-Up In South Africa

A burial mix-up in Mangwe District has left a family devastated after they discovered they buried the wrong body.

Due to a tag swap at a South African mortuary, the Ndebele family from Matanka Two Village had mistakenly interred a Lesotho national instead of their son, Bambanani Ndebele.

Mangwe Family Buried The Wrong Body

Bambanani, who was in his late 20s, died in South Africa after being hit with a knobkerrie at a party he hosted. However, his family buried the wrong person last month in Matabeleland South, causing confusion and grief. The error was only discovered after the family from Lesotho, preparing for their relative’s burial, realised the body wasn’t theirs.

Edison Ndebele (85), Bambanani’s uncle, rued to The Chronicle:

“I have never seen anything like this in my life. We are in fear because we buried a stranger thinking he was our family member. We don’t know what burial rituals people from Lesotho follow.

“What if this mistake curses our family? Bambanani’s mother passed away a few years ago and is also buried here. We performed rituals to inform her of her son’s burial, but it was all in vain.”

Despite some family members raising concerns about the body’s identity, elders dismissed them. Antony Ndebele, another uncle, was unable to participate in body viewing due to recent eye surgery but repeatedly questioned if it was truly Bambanani’s body.

“I asked my sister three times if she was sure the body was Bambanani’s, and each time she affirmed,” he said.

Urban Services Funeral Parlour in South Africa, responsible for the tag mix-up, has vowed to cover the costs of rectifying the error. The Lesotho family’s relative is expected to be exhumed and repatriated, while Bambanani’s body will finally be returned home.

ALSO READ: Mix-Up At Funeral Parlour: Family Forced To Exhume Body After Mother Buried By Wrong Family

Fear Runs Rampant In The Village

Tension has gripped the local community, with villagers scared of the graveyard where the Lesotho national lies buried. Gogo MaNcube, a local elder, voiced the community’s concern, saying:

“People are now afraid to pass by the graveyard at night.”

As they await the exhumation, the Ndebele family remains on edge, unsure of what the future holds.

“Our lives are on hold until the body is taken back to Lesotho,” Edison Ndebele said.

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