the corner office

I remember this being on the telly weeks back. An old man dies, a so-called prophet says he will rise again, and so the family refuse to bury the body and wait for a magical day that keeps getting postponed. Now the cops have said enough is enough:

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African authorities will bury a 77-year-old man who has been dead seven weeks despite his family saying a "prophet" had promised them he would be resurrected, police said on Tuesday.

Paul Meintjes's body was returned to his family late last week after the local mortuary refused to store it any longer. The body was kept in his widow's bedroom at their Free State home for three days before officials said it was a health risk and ordered it taken to the state morgue.

"The body is OK -- it is still recognizable," police spokesman Sam Makhele told Reuters by telephone from Bloemfontein. "But after a few days out of the fridge the smell was not OK."

At the time I had one of my "bah religion" tirades which usually end with the missus saying "Colin. Shut up already." I just can't help but wonder what the family would have done if the fuzz hadn't stepped in. At what point do one's nostrils override one's faith?

(via Gauteng Blog)