The Mpumalanga-based Hoxani Traditional Council has fined a 74-year-old pensioner R7,000 for burying her husband in her yard.

Roslinah Mpangani from Hoxani village in Bushbuckridge said she used all the money she had to pay the fine and she still owes a balance of R2,000.

Mpangani said it was the wish of her late husband Wilson Mpangani to be buried next to his brother’s grave. She carried out his wish last week.

 

Just a few days after the funeral she was summoned to the tribal court to explain her actions.

“Family members went there to represent me as I’m not allowed to go to overcrowded places because I am still mourning. When they arrived there, they were told that they must pay the fine immediately,” said Mpangani.

When she told them that she didn’t have enough money to pay the fine, she said the authorities told her to use the money donated by the community after her husband’s death.

“After trying in vain to convince them to understand my situation I felt obliged to use all the R5,000 that I had to pay the fine. As I am talking to you now, I don’t even have food in the house,” said the worried widow.

To make things worse, she was reportedly told that she must pay R500 every month to settle the balance.

Council chairperson Luka Nkuna said he was aware of the issue and also said that the family paid the fine.

“It is true that the family was found guilty of home burial and they were ordered to pay R5,000 as a penalty. We don’t allow people to bury their family members in their yard because in the future it interrupts development,” Nkuna said.