Old Mutual Malawi, one of the leading Insurance companies in the country has launched Mthunzi Funeral Services Company to ease the challenges that Malawians face during funerals.

The launch took place on Monday at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre. The launch was spiced up by live performance from well-known gospel singer Faith Mussa.

Speaking after the launch the Company’s Chief Operations Officer Khumbo Phiri said Mthunzi Funeral Services Company is here to sort out logistical challenges faced during mourning period.

“Mthunzi Funeral Services Company is 100% company owned by Old Mutual Malawi. We are in Malawi to sort the problem of funeral logistics end to end. From the time someone has passed on to the time of burial.

“You can agree with me that in Malawi these services are already available but the major difference is thas we are offering all these under one roof,” said Phiri.

While not hitting the nail on the head on cost of Mthunzi Funeral Services, Phiri assured Malawians that the services will be accessed at an affordable prices.

“Malawians will definitely contribute less the reason being that the way we handle funerals in this day and age or historically is disjointed. You will find out that people for example they will need transport to ferry the body from either the hospital to the mortuary or home to the mortuary.Some people will go to the extent of going out to hire chairs from different supplier, they will go out look for a coffin, they will also go out look for other things that will accommodate the funeral.

“Mthunzi comes in and it will be affordable in this way, you will just go to one location and find everything under one roof. Over and above this there is something that is not very common in that there is a chapel on site, meaning that people will actually have a choice to take the body either home or wherever it is going or even do a send off.

“You know in some instances people do take the body to home village, we don’t have the facility where people can congregate in a decent manner so you can see all these will be offered primarily to the members of the public at a similar cost even cheaper because you are finding everything in a convenient one location. So we believe we will be able to offer great value to Malawians,” he said.

Speaking earlier during a panel discussion hosted by Chief Zingwangwa hailed Old Mutual for coming up with Mthunzi Funeral Services Company, saying this will ease the burden that Malawians face during funerals.

“You know many areas in out Townships are congested and during funerals its not easy to find a better place to stay so Mthunzi Funeral Services will ease that challenge,” she said.

Some of the services that will be offered by Mthunzi Funeral Services Company include; Body removal, Mortuary Services, Burial, Coffins, Caskets and Ash Urns, Blankets, Laces and Reads mats, Exhumations, Repatriation Services, Hearse and Buses and Video recordings and photography.

The Company is also expected to open its branches in all regions of Malawi.