Eleventh International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm and the number of infection and death cases gave every individual a fright. The uncertainty of always checking whether they have been infected on top of losing family members and friends ahas become the source of trauma for many. For Zulu traditional society in South Africa, their concern is not being allowed to fully perform burial rituals when bidding farewell to their loved ones. This, according to their religion, can and is causing family members to be anxious about their deceased member of the family not transitioning well into the hereafter. If these rituals are not performed the deceased will not be welcomed by predecessors. The paper aims to stimulate thinking, reflection, and understanding of traditional societies in the midst of the pandemic. The fear of the repercussions is an unsettling lingering thought in the minds of the surviving family members. This thus becomes both a religious and psychological issue. This paper relies on inductive thematic analysis to interpret the data collected.