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Prisca Banda, a certified mortician, believes her career is a calling and that she provides an important service to the community.

Zambian-born Banda comes from a medical background and it isn't difficult to see why she developed an interest in this field early in her life.

She learnt much of what she knows from her father, a qualified embalmer - he embalmed Zambia's late president Levy Mwanawasa.

Banda also has qualifications in hotel management and business administration, and is a certified nurse assistant, but the funeral industry is her first love.

Understanding the job

In South Africa, the job of a funeral director and mortician varies. Funeral directors work with the deceased's family to plan funerals, handle removals from the place of death, direct funerals and complete the paperwork for burials and cremations.

Usually, morticians only work with the deceased.

Banda says she enjoys both aspects of the industry.

A mortician' s duties involve helping people to honour the deceased and making it easier for loved ones to deal with bereavement.

Banda says that when a person dies , the mortician prepares the body, using embalming techniques.

This preserves the body and prepares it for viewing. Depending on the cause of death, a mortician carries out restorative art to restore the deceased's facial features or cosmetically beautify the deceased with make-up.

"Making the deceased look lovely is the most rewarding aspect of my job. It makes me proud that I can help mourners remember their loved ones when they were at their best," she said.

Is this the job for me?

"You spend much time with the deceased, but you have to deal with bereaved families all the time and people won't be at their best," she said.

Morticians need a solid knowledge of biology and human anatomy.

One must be sensitive to cultural customs and be patient, kind and particular about details. The deceased must be treated with respect.

"I always consult the family on how they wish to honour the deceased and I follow that to the last detail," Banda said.

She also has to ensure that the mortuary is clean at all times.

She says teamwork is important. From the first call from the family , the mortician has to communicate with staff at the funeral home , until the burial has taken place.

What the future holds

There is a shortage of qualified morticians in South Africa.

"I want to make a difference and change the way people, especially women, perceive this industry . This used to be a man's job, but there's nothing stopping women from doing it. Women bring a certain softness to the job and the profession needs us ," she said .

Banda said people sometimes ask strange questions, but this is only because they don't understand the job.

She believes that her involvement in training and education at the Funeral Academy for Africa in Pretoria, the first mortuary science training school in Africa, will help to remove inaccurate perceptions of morticians and the industry. - sacareerfocus

Comments

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Sun May 19 07:36:13 SAST 2013 ::

Apr 17, 2012

Bizzabo

Aii khona!
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Apr 17, 2012

maneater

i will not do this Job, over my dead body!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Apr 17, 2012

MORNACHIESS

Eish...
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Apr 17, 2012

Julz

@maneater - you're sharp this morning, laugh
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Apr 17, 2012

BaleliM

I feel sorry for her partner. No matter how you bath or use perfume, working on dead bodies leaves this odour on your skin and clothes and it gives me the creeps.
My brother in law is a qualified doctor and he sometimes does autopsy and even he comes back traumatized by the odour.
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Apr 17, 2012

LEEZO

No thanks i'll pass i dont think i would coupe with that kind of job
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Apr 17, 2012

iPhone4

I'd rather pick up garbage on the streets ngeke dead people? ""You spend much time with the deceased" no f u c k e n way.
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Apr 17, 2012

Sugaar

I will rather sell tamaties le makwinya ko taxi rank.Haikhona ,sorry
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Apr 17, 2012

WEREWOLF

OK ALL OF YOU ARE RUNNING AWAY FROM THIS JOB, WHO IS GOING TO TAKE CARE OF US WHEN WE DEAD? THESE PEOPLE THE FEEL THE SAME WAY BUT THEY HAVE TO HELP AND SET YOUR EYES ON YOUR BELOVED ONE FOR THE LAST TIME.
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Apr 17, 2012

Blackstone.lebs

i am aware and fully appreciate the "value" of this job, as long as i don't have to do it.
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