The undertaker
2 min read
By Margaret Kamba
The story of one female undertaker has touched my heart. I am not sure if this is because at some point I contemplated doing this job myself or not.
There are still a few female undertakers in the country, and I am sure given enough time, many women will dominate this industry.
Bekezela Shumba says when she told her mother that she wanted to transport corpses, her mother was shocked.
“She could not understand why I wanted to get into this profession. My sister told my mother that the courage I had displayed before could have been the reason behind this decision,” she said.
“If you tied a cow to a tree, gave me an axe, and asked me to kill it, I would. This self-determination is what my sister had been talking about.
“Having been the only female border to border courier (malaicha) as well, it seemed strange to them that I had this kind of courage.”
As you talk to her as she narrates her story while waiting for family proceedings to end at a funeral, you can tell that this is one strong woman who, when she sets her eyes on a ball, will get it.
“Go ahead and do the job,” she says. “Nothing or no one should stop you. I am very happy doing this job. If I had an opportunity to pick up to people on a highway, one corpse, or one woman or man, I would stop to pick up the corpse and leave you,” she says.
“Aah, why,” I ask her because it really baffles me. Then she begins to make me understand her line of thinking, which I quickly buy into.
“The corpse can not do anything to me because the person is dead already. If I picked you up, I have no idea what you are thinking about me or what you could do to me. So I would rather pick up the corpse.”
Asking her about her trade, she describes it like any any other job.
“The corpse is dead. I am not related to the person to think of the misconceptions surrounding the coming back to life.”
She says that after a three months induction course, one can understand what her job entails.
She is also quick to reflect upon her mother’s change of heart towards her profession.
“It was the death of a relative that made my mother understand my profession. The way the undertaker handled the job made her understand my job. Soon after the burial of that relative, she began to speak well about what I was doing and has been very supportive. My husband is also very supportive, along with my male colleagues, as I am the only female.”
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