DIG DEEPER

The plight of 12 families who are alleged victims of undertaker Petrus Booysen is now in the hands of the Public Protector South Africa (PPSA).

Booysen apparently buried their loved ones as paupers instead of cremating them. 

It was a case that rocked Cape Town when the families broke their silence earlier this year, that their loved ones were not cremated but buried as paupers by St Francis Funeral Home in Kraaifontein and in one case the family has yet to find their 94-year-old mother’s remains.

In June, the Kuils River Magistrates Court struck the matter off the roll provisionally to allow vital evidence such as the Cape High Court application for exhumations and DNA testing to be submitted.

The families are calling on the PPSA to investigate the City’s role in authorising and enabling these unlawful burials, the police’s delays and failure to secure a court order for exhumations, despite repeated requests and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) handling of this matter and why the criminal case was struck off the roll.

The PPSA’s media office confirmed they had received her complainant.

They said: “The Public Protector South Africa (PPSA) confirms receipt of the complaint on 8 August 2025.

“The matter is currently at verification stage to ensure that it complies with the PPSA’s rules for intake. The Complainant has been requested to provide additional information.”

Anita Momberg, one of the affected relatives, no-one or no formal body or office was held accountable for the pain and suffering the families continue to endure.

She stated: “While the City has now acknowledged some level of wrongdoing and outlined internal steps taken against the undertaker, their response fails to offer any immediate relief, fails to acknowledge the trauma caused, and fails to demonstrate accountability. 

“It further shifts responsibility entirely to SAPS and the NPA, ignoring the City's own constitutional obligations to act with urgency, transparency, and care in matters involving the deceased.

“This is not an isolated case. 12 families have now been confirmed as victims of this gross injustice.”