The Tshishonga family of Kuruleni shocked hundreds of mourners last Saturday when they stopped the funeral proceedings of their daughter, demanding that her husband pay the R20 000 he owes them for lobola.

The deceased, Thilivhali Francinah Mukwevho (31), was married to Victor Mukwevho (38) in the so-called “Vat-and-sit" style and the couple stayed at Mpheni for 12 years. They had two children together before God called Francinah two weeks ago.

Francinah’s body was held at the mortuary for more than two weeks as negotiations between the two families dragged on. This weekend, hundreds of mourners watched as the two families continued their fight in public. The woman’s family took Francinah’s lifeless body back to the mortuary.

The stranded husband said he was shocked by the manner in which the Tshishonga family had acted. He said his wife's family had been at his house since her death on October 4 and they had never said anything.

Early on Saturday morning, the Tshishonga family closed the gate at the cemetery. "They told me that they wanted to talk to me before the burial proceedings started. They said I must pay R20 000 for lobola before burying her and R10 000 should be paid on the spot. I told them I didn't have the money there, because I spent R70 000 preparing for the funeral. I asked them to go to the police station to formalise a written agreement of payment, but they refused," said Mukwevho.

“We agreed at the Levubu Police station that I must give them the death certificate and identity document of the late Francinah. I wanted to give my wife a dignified funeral. The funeral was stopped and we had to throw away all the food that was prepared,” said Mukwevho.

Francinah’s aunt, Nyawasedza Mudau, said Mukwevho never bothered to pay lobola when he took Francinah 12 years ago.

She said Mukwevho was threatening them with phone calls. “He is accusing us of stealing his wife’s body and dragged us to the Levubu police station. You can’t just stay with someone’s daughter for so many years without paying lobola. It is immoral and this should serve as a lesson to young men of today who prefer the 'Vat-and-Sit' style," she said.

Mudau insisted that Mukwevho should first pay the amount requested. "He refused to give us the death certificate of our daughter, because he wanted to claim money from an insurance policy. We begged him to pay lobola and he didn’t give us an ear," she said.