Doves funeral group made to apologise for ghoulish Sbahle Mpisane post

The Doves funeral group apologised late on Friday for a social media post in which they said they were praying for fitness expert Sbahle Mpisane’s recovery following a car crash in Durban in the early hours of Thursday.

The 25-year-old, who is in a relationship with Bafana star Itumeleng Khune and is understood to have lost a friend in the accident when her BMW rolled, remains in critical condition in St Augustine’s Hospital in Durban.

Among the many wishing her well was the well-known national funeral parlour brand Doves on Twitter and Facebook.

They shared a photo of her with the words “we’re praying for you” after advertising their catchphrase, “Insuring a Dignified Service”.

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The unintended ghoulishness of this was not missed by South Africans and Doves deleted the posts.

Chief executive Minki Rafenyalo told IOL that people had misunderstood their intentions and that the posts were part of their campaign to change perceptions about the funeral parlour industry.

“We do not profit from death. We are more for life instead of death,” she was quoted as saying.

She said there would be an official apology, and they would “never wish death upon anyone as a business”, she said.

The apology was tweeted shortly thereafter on Friday night.