Durban, South Africa – The funeral industry is set to mark a new milestone with the inaugural National Funeral Business Lifetime Achievement Awards, taking place on April 6th, 2025, at the Durban ICC.

Under the theme ‘Celebrating Service Excellence’, this prestigious event aims to honour the unwavering commitment and dedication of leaders within the funeral business, while inspiring the broader industry to uphold the highest standards of service and ethical conduct.

The National Funeral Business Lifetime Achievement Awards are a significant step in recognizing the contributions of funeral practitioners who have demonstrated exceptional service to their communities and played a key role in the growth and professionalism of the funeral industry. By spotlighting excellence, the event aims to inspire funeral practitioners to continually elevate their services, ensuring that families experiencing loss are met with compassion, professionalism, and seamless support.

Mr. Muzi Hlengwa, a leading figure in the funeral industry and a key spokesperson for the awards, shared the vision for the event:

“We want to create an industry where service excellence is not just an aspiration but a non-negotiable standard. Our goal is to ensure that families going through the most difficult times can rely on funeral parlours for a smooth, respectful, and seamless burial process. We aim to put the customer first,” said Mr. Hlengwa.

He emphasized that these awards are not only about celebrating large-scale or elaborate funeral services but about recognizing consistent, outstanding performance and encouraging practitioners to continue refining their practices. “We hope to inspire even the emerging funeral parlours to strive for excellence and aim for national recognition through their dedication and service,” he added.

The awards will feature 16 categories, each designed to highlight various aspects of the funeral business, including professionalism, community involvement, and service delivery. The nomination and adjudication processes have been designed to ensure fairness and transparency. To maintain integrity, both funeral parlours and associations have been consulted, and the directors leading the awards ceremony have voluntarily withdrawn their funeral parlours from the awards to avoid any conflicts of interest.

In closing, Mr. Hlengwa emphasized the importance of accountability and trust within the industry: “Funeral practitioners must be accountable and trustworthy. What you promise, you must deliver. We are standing up for the good of all those underwritten by funeral parlours. This is how we can fight for service excellence throughout the industry.”

The National Funeral Business Lifetime Achievement Awards are set to be a defining moment in the history of South Africa’s funeral industry. As the industry moves forward, this event will serve as a reminder that hard work, service excellence, and dedication to community welfare should always be celebrated and nurtured.

For more information or to attend the awards ceremony, contact Nhlakanipho Cele at 069 540 4439 or Allic Bojosi at 076 674 5666

About the National Funeral Business Lifetime Achievement Awards

The National Funeral Business Lifetime Achievement Awards is an initiative created by industry leaders to celebrate outstanding contributions to the funeral services industry. The awards aim to elevate standards, promote ethical practices, and inspire excellence within the industry.