The 12-month reprieve granted to start-up undertakers by the government may assist in the interim to keep their doors open, but a lot more needs to be done to ensure they can sustain themselves.

Small funeral parlour owners picketed outside the department of home affairs' head offices in Pretoria demanding an easing of operational regulations. The department's regulations state that all operators should have a certificate of competence (COC) to be allowed to move bodies and have burial rights...