Celeb funerals: Why are taxpayers burying the rich, and not poor activists, freedom fighters?

Should South Africa’s cash-strapped fiscus, bankrolled by increasingly struggling taxpayers, be paying for celebrity funerals?

This question has been pondered by several commentators recently, following the KwaZulu-Natal government’s hosting of a provincial funeral for musician Mampintsha, and again this week when it was announced that slain rapper Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, popularly known as AKA, would be granted the same privilege by the Gauteng government.

State burials for prominent people are conducted under the state-funded funerals policy document, and are dependent on approval from the president.

‘Celebs can afford to live it up. They should pay’

Attorney Jabu Rakwena of Van Rensburg Kruger Rakwena Attorneys in Mpumalanga, said government’s application of the policy left much to be desired.

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He said based on celebrities’ lavish public lifestyles, they should be able to foot their own burials, and therefore state assistance should be given to those who work in communities.

“The honour that you accord someone should be in relation to their contribution to society. One can say entertainment is also a contribution but it’s different compared to doing work of goodwill and for the upliftment of the community.

“Community activists are not covered by state funeral policy just because they are not famous. So, you can see that the state wants to be associated with the publicity that this [deceased] person had.”

Another section of the population that’s ignored by the state, said Rakwena, is former freedom fighters, most of whom he said remain destitute and get no help from government until their death.

Rakwena mentioned Peter Jones who died on Tuesday after suffering a stroke.

Jones was an anti-apartheid activist, and was arrested along with Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) icon, Steve Biko. He was the last person to be seen with Biko alive.

“As of now, it’s not clear whether the state is going to step in and accord Jones the honour that he deserves. He was more of a national hero compared to many others. People are forced to do comparisons if there are double standards.

“There are many freedom fighters who die in poverty and never receive the same accolades afforded to celebrities. These people sacrificed their youth and didn’t see their families for decades.

“They could have built careers to afford themselves better lives, but they gave their time and energy to the national course. This is shameful,” said Rakwena.

President’s prerogative

Previously, mere popularity didn’t guarantee that government would shoulder your funeral costs upon your demise.

READ MORE: KZN government denies it paid R50m for Mampintsha funeral

When popular SABC TV presenter Vuyo Mbuli died in 2013, many rallied and called upon the then-president Jacob Zuma to afford him a state funeral.

Nomvula Mokonyane, who is now African National Congress (ANC) deputy secretary-general, was Gauteng premier at the time.

She jumped the gun, announcing that Mbuli’s funeral will be paid for by the province, without lodging a request to Zuma as required.

The ex-president, however, didn’t approve of an official funeral for the TV presenter.

This could have been one of the many reasons why Cabinet reviewed and adjusted the policy in 2014.

Gauteng yet to get the green light

Kiernan Jarryd Forbes’ family on Tuesday announced that a private provincial funeral will take place on Saturday.

However, nothing official came from Premier Panyaza Lesufi‘s office at the time.

Lesufi and other officials, including ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula were part of a throng of mourners who visited Forbes’ Johannesburg home this week.

It was only on Wednesday that the provincial government announced that Lesufi had written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to request that Forbes be afforded an official provincial funeral, with AKA’s coffin to be draped in a national flag and flags being flown at half-mast at government buildings.

“A state funeral is for anyone we believe has contributed to society. It is not about money. We are honouring the person’s contribution to the country. The family can keep the flag as a reminder that the South African government recognises their contribution,” Lesufi’s spokesperson, Vuyo Mhaga, told News24.

It seems Lesufi spoke too soon, just as his predecessor Mokonyane did.

It was announced on Thursday afternoon that Lesufi’s office had not succeeded in getting permission from the Presidency to give Forbes a state funeral.

Mampintsha’s family’s R300k gift from KZN

More recently, the KwaZulu-Natal government gave Durban-based musician Mandla Maphumulo, popularly known as Mampintsha, a provincial funeral.

The family said the 40-year-old died in hospital after suffering a stroke a few days before he was admitted for treatment.

Furthermore, his family received R320 000 from government, according to provincial spokesperson Lennox Mabaso.

“R170 000 of this came from the office of the premier, R50 000 from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, while the remaining R100 000 was provided by the eThekwini Metro,” Mabaso said.

Rakwena said he hoped the burial of celebrities by the state will spark a debate.

“If AKA supported the governing party, nothing stops the party from paying for the funeral. But it should not be the state doing the contribution.

“The process should not be done on the basis of who’s popular and who’s not. This must elicit debate as to whether this is fair.”

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When did we start paying for prominent people’s funerals?

Government’s review of the pre-1994 state-funded funerals policy back in 2014 brought about changes that saw popular artists and those deemed of a high stature being considered for state-funded funerals, but only if a sitting president gives the go-ahead.

Introducing the new look policy manual in 2016, former director-general in the Presidency Cassius Lubisi said the state-funded funeral policy was reviewed twice to “make it appropriate to the context of a new dispensation and environment of a free and inclusive democratic society”.

He added that the death of former president Nelson Mandela in 2013 informed the adjustment of the policy.

“Drawing on the unique experiences and practices over the period 1994 to 2014, with a heavy emphasis on democracy and freedom, and high levels of community participation, the manual describes different categories of funerals commensurate with the status of the deceased figures, and identifies key role players, structures and processes,” read Lubisi’s foreword in the document.