Published: 19 September 2017

DOVES Holdings has invested $2 million in constructing a state-of-the-art funeral parlour in Beitbridge.

The new facility houses a mortuary with a carrying capacity of 40 bodies, a chapel to accommodate 200 people, offices and a showroom.

The investment is expected to ease pressure on the district hospital mortuary and improve service at the country's busiest border town. On average about 300 bodies are repatriated from South Africa on a monthly basis.

Doves group chief executive officer, Dr Talent Maziwisa, said they were looking at creating a major depot for Sadc at Beitbridge through their sister company in the neighbouring country.

"We are looking at simplifying some of the challenges many people face in repatriating remains of Zimbabweans or other nationalities who die in South Africa," he said.

"The main objective of opening the Beitbridge branch is to reach out to our policy holders as well as coordinate with our sister branch in that country to make repatriations and burials dignified.

"This is one of our initiatives to decentralise services across the country. As we broaden our asset base, it is important that we create jobs and business opportunities for people around Beitbridge."

Dr Maziwisa said the company was planning to construct two similar parlours in Chiredzi and Zvishavane next year.

He also said Doves had invested in upgrading other funeral parlours across the country by capacitating them with the requisite resources including, modern buses, hearses, and ambulances among other equipment. Dr Maziwisa said the company expected to create an average of 10 jobs at every branch countrywide.

"The idea is to create space for the local authority and other keys stakeholders in our mortuary as and when the need arises. Basically we want to offer a key service as a transit point for repatriations. Our clients may access funeral assurance and funeral services here," he said.

Doves Holdings board chairman, Major General Engelbert Rugeje, said they had redirected the company investment focus to infrastructure development and new other products to adapt to the changes in the international and regional markets.

"For the foreseeable future, we will also continue to acquire and develop properties as a form of long term investments," he said.

Beitbridge District Hospital is a referral centre for 120 000 people and also caters for a daily transit population. It relies on a mortuary that carries 30 bodies at any given time.

However, due to deaths emanating from road accidents on highways leading to both Harare and Bulawayo the mortuary is perennially overwhelmed.

Our Beitbridge Bureau is reliably informed that the major destinations of Zimbabweans' bodies repatriated from South Africa are Plumtree, Bulawayo, Tsholotsho, Nkayi, Gwanda, Beitbridge, Matobo, Zaka, Chiredzi, Mwenezi and Bikita.

Beitbridge District Administrator, Mrs Kilinoni Ndou-Mbedzi officiated at the commissioning ceremony in place of the guest of honour, Minister of State Security, Kembo Mohadi who is also legislator for Beitbridge East.
- online

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