Cape Town mother waits nearly a year for son’s ashes after funeral arrangements

A Cape Town mother, Marina Fortune, has been unable to properly mourn her son, Richard Jones, after waiting nearly a year for his ashes, despite having paid thousands of rand for funeral and cremation arrangements. Richard died on August 31, 2025, and his mother has since been repeatedly contacting Hartnick’s Funeral Home for answers about the whereabouts of his ashes.

She initially paid R500 to secure the crematorium and later paid an additional R7,500, totaling R8,000. However, her concerns began a month after the funeral arrangements were made when Richard's ashes had not been handed over to the family. Despite multiple follow-ups, the family has been left without answers and has been left to repeatedly initiate contact with the funeral home themselves.

Fortune has expressed her frustration, stating that the matter is not about the money she paid, but rather about her son being buried in a dignified way and having peace that he was laid to rest as he wished. The prolonged wait has also left the family seeking clarity about the process and ensuring that the ashes handed over following a cremation can be positively linked to Richard.

Hartnick’s Funeral Home has been contacted for comment, but a response has not been provided by the time of publication.