Doves funeral services was fined R5,000 by members of the metro police on Thursday after employees were caught illegally dumping “mud” in an open area in Cato Crest, Durban. 

Metro police spokesperson Parboo Sewpersad urged the community and public at large to be their eyes and ears with factual information which can lead to prosecution and sometimes subsequent arrest of the perpetrators. 

Samantha Wessels, Durban operations manager for Doves Funeral Parlour, confirmed the company had been fined R5,000 and said they were at the site cleaning up the mess. 

Wessels disputed claims the waste being dumped was medical waste. 

“It was not medical waste, it was mud from vehicles which had been cleaned and loaded into a container. It doesn’t excuse our employees from doing this and they have already been dealt with,” she said.

Wessels didn’t elaborate on what action was taken against staff. 

She said they were unaware their driver had done this, saying it was the first instance brought to their attention. 

“Management was totally unaware of the fact,” she said. 

Parboo said: “The community can call 031-361-0000 and obtain a reference number for a call or complaint.”

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