We only go to pay our condolences when we get some time off. Hundreds if not thousands of people still attend the funerals of the high and mighty, but at more and more funerals, the family is lucky if a dozen people are present. We used to talk about burials where there were a lot of people. Now people don't care, just as long as someone is buried. In recent years, the number of burial societies has grown dramatically.
People pay a membership fee to join, as well as a monthly contribution.
This used to cover most of the burial costs of the members or their family. All the members have to contribute to replace the money. So many people are dying that we are afraid that we might have nothing in our coffers. Funeral parlours A decade ago, there were 2 funeral parlours in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city. Today, there are 18.