Death without dignity? Rural funeral practices in the time of COVID-19

In rural South Africa, funerals are family and community affairs. They are not usually run by the state, funeral directors, local government officials or hospital staff. They are also not occasions on which one expects to find police officers on duty. Families and religious leaders are normally given relative freedom to bury the dead in a dignified way and according to tradition and religious beliefs. The COVID-19 restrictions do not allow this.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Human Science Research Council SA
Published
2026-05-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.14749/32378166
Primary Topic
African studies and sociopolitical issues
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Death without dignity? Rural funeral practices in the time of COVID-19

Human Sciences Research Council
Human Science Research Council SA
African studies and sociopolitical issues
article

Death without dignity? Rural funeral practices in the time of COVID-19

Human Sciences Research Council
article en

Abstract

In rural South Africa, funerals are family and community affairs. They are not usually run by the state, funeral directors, local government officials or hospital staff. They are also not occasions on which one expects to find police officers on duty. Families and religious leaders are normally given relative freedom to bury the dead in a dignified way and according to tradition and religious beliefs. The COVID-19 restrictions do not allow this.

Human Science Research Council SA
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
African studies and sociopolitical issues
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Death without dignity? Rural funeral practices in the time of COVID-19 — Human Sciences Research Council · Human Science Research Council SA (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS