Sad saga of stalled funeral, coffin filled with bricks and missing body

A KwaZulu-Natal church leader’s funeral took a bizarre twist on Saturday when his wife got an interdict to stop his partner from burying him, only to discover his coffin was filled with bricks and his body was missing.

The funeral of Thami Elijah Nkonyane, the late leader of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Holy Spirit Church in Zion also known as Inyoni Emhlophe, was interrupted in Osizweni, Newcastle, when police served papers on his partner Priscilla Sizeni Mazibuko (MaKhuzwayo), ordering her to hand over the coffin to his wife, Dolly Nkonyane (MaNgcobo).

The church announced Nkonyane passed away on May 24, but didn’t disclose how or where he died.

In a statement the church said his wife, whom he married in 1988, went to court to get an urgent interdict with his family to stop the June 6 funeral after MaKhuzwayo, who lived with Nkonyane in Durban before his death, had “unilaterally” arranged the lavish event without consulting MaNgcobo or the extended Nkonyane family.

However, when the coffin was opened, the family were distraught to discover it was filled with building blocks.

KZN spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said Osizweni police are investigating a case of fraud “following an incident in which a funeral was arranged to bury what was found to be building blocks inside a coffin, not a corpse, at the church”.

The family registered the criminal case against against funeral home Icebolethu and MaKhuzwayo.

Netshiunda said the discovery was made when family members of the “supposed deceased person” produced an interdict to stop the funeral.

The drama took a further twist when the family were tipped off the leader’s body may have been buried on the church grounds.

Nkonyane’s sister, Sibongile, said the family asked the police to accompany them to the property where they searched the main house looking for areas of the grounds that were recently refurbished.

At the back of the house they found a recently dug up site which they believe is where her brother is buried.

The family are now waiting for a ruling on another court interdict allowing them to exhume remains at the site.

She said they are disappointed with what happened, especially with Icebolethu Funerals, and the fact they were “sidelined” by the woman who was living with their brother.

“After we saw that we are being sidelined, my brother’s wife decided to seek an interdict of the funeral, which we supported, and the court ruled in our favour,” she said.

Sibongile said the family wanted to give her brother a proper send-off.

Her brother Sakhile apologised to the church followers for the events following his brother’s death.

He said the “shameful” incident could have been avoided if the funeral home “conducted themselves professionally”.

The church said it was “saddened by this unfortunate and inhumane turn of events” and stands with the Nkonyane family and supports their pursuit of justice in this matter.

Icebolethu founder Nomfundo Mcoyi-Zondo didn’t respond to queries.

A spokesperson for MaKhuzwayo also didn’t respond to queries.