WHAT was meant to offer dignity in times of grief has turned into a financial nightmare for many Zimbabwean families.
The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts (ZNOART) has sounded alarm over what it calls exploitative and unfair practices by funeral assurance companies.
The ZNOART accused some of the companies of preying on desperate policyholders already crushed by the rising cost of living.
ZNOART chairperson Shepherd Shalvar Chikomba said funeral policies originally designed to provide relief and support during bereavement had increasingly become a lifelong financial trap for low-income earners.
“Residents across the country continue to raise serious concerns over endless premium payment without clear maturity benefits, policy cancellations after short periods of non-payment, lack of transparency in terms and conditions, and rising funeral costs despite years of contribution,” Chikomba told NewsDay.
He singled out aggressive marketing tactics that target vulnerable communities, exposing them to severe hardships.
“Funeral assurance must never become a lifelong financial trap. Funeral policies should offer peace of mind and not deepen household poverty,” Chikomba said.
While acknowledging recent consumer protection efforts by the Insurance and Pensions Commission (Ipec), Chikomba said more teeth were needed.
“Residents who have contributed for many years should not lose all benefits because of temporary financial hardships,” he stressed.
Chikomba praised burial societies and community solidarity systems as vital social protection structures that should be nurtured.
“Death is a painful reality that every family eventually faces. No resident should be exploited in moments of grief,” he said, urging Ipec and other stakeholders to act decisively in defence of residents’ rights, dignity and economic welfare.
In separate interviews, policyholders called on funeral assurance providers to clearly explain policy terms, waiting periods, exclusions, surrender values and pay-out structures.
“There is need for community education to help Zimbabweans to distinguish between funeral assurance, burial societies and life insurance,” one Chitungwiza resident said.
No comment could be obtained from the Zimbabwe Association of Funeral Assurers.
In a report on the state of the funeral industry, Ipec said it received 54 complaints against funeral assurers as at December 31, 2025.
The commission said it resolved all but two of the cases, which were work in progress by year-end.-newsday
