The body of a 14-year-old boy, Unarine Mudzanani, who passed away last Friday, would have lain in the mortuary for many weeks as the family struggled to find a coffin to bury him in.

However, the good news is that young Unarine will be laid to rest with dignity at Ha-Vhangani, near Masia, on Saturday morning.

This comes after a Mashau-based businessman, Mr Jonas Mugovhani, offered to donate a coffin to the indigent family. The coffin is valued at R8 000.

“When I received the sad news about the family's struggle to bury their loved one, I was so touched and I could also feel their frustration and pain,” Mugovhani said. “I knew that if the corpse stayed longer in the mortuary, it was going to accumulate more expenses, which the family might not even able to pay.”

He added that, in the rural communities where the rate of unemployment was higher, many people experienced a hard time and frustration in times of death. “Our old men and women end up borrowing money from loan sharks, who will keep their social grant cards and withdraw instalments until the credit is closed,” he said. “I didn't want this family to go through that kind of a situation.”

The deceased's grandmother and guardian, Vho-Masindi Magara (73), said that she did not have enough words to express her sincere gratitude to Mr Mugovhani, who donated a coffin through his Joni Woodwork initiative.

“Our child passed away after a long illness on Friday, and we had no money for the coffin and other things which needed as part of the burial ceremony,” Vho-Magara said. “We discussed the situation with Mr Thomas Libago, who's chairperson of the DA here in Ward 7.”

Libago then requested a donation from Mugovhani, who responded positively. During his visit to the family on Tuesday, Mugovhani said to them: “We love you and we mourn with you. Go bury your loved one with dignity.”