By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
In a development that has left many South Africans outraged and confused, the late rapper AKA’s funeral send-off has clinched top honors at the inaugural National Funeral Business Lifetime Achievement Awards in Durban.
While the concept of awarding funerals might seem bizarre to some, it has quickly become a contentious topic that has social media buzzing.
The rapper’s burial was a private event, but the subsequent memorial at the Sandton Convention Centre drew a massive crowd and was streamed online, allowing thousands to pay their last respects.
Now, two years later, the recognition of AKA’s send-off has sparked intense debate over the ethics and appropriateness of such accolades.
Critics are vocal on social media, questioning what it means to celebrate a funeral as if it were a competition.
One user blasted the concept, stating, “So this is a thing now? Funerals have become a competition. This entire notion is diabolical.”
Another chimed in, “It must have been a morbid affair. Same as saying who died the best. Senseless morons… What’s next? The cutest corpse?”
The awards were meant to honor those in South Africa’s lucrative R10 billion funeral industry but have instead ignited outrage over whether grief should be commodified in this way.
South Africa appears to be paving the way for a phenomenon that some ironically view as both innovative and deeply troubling.