My mother died last weekend.

My mother died last weekend.

I need to know how many people are exploited by burial services and how many of the living trap themselves in debt to give a loved one a proper send-off?

My mother was old and very sickly. She spent her last days with my sister, where she could receive quick treatment, and not on my farm as I had planned. When she collapsed, the Brakpan paramedics were there in minutes. Burial arrangements started at R9500 even though we wanted to bury her on our family plot, 100km away. After negotiations, the final price was R4000.

I wasn't fazed by the sharks in the death business, but I wonder how the many thousands who can't even afford a decent meal bury their loved ones? It is a shame that families who are grieving are exploited like this.

Hendrika Kruger, Johannesburg