Omega Ukama 
Over the last 17 years, Nyaradzo has produced innovative solutions that have redefined the domestic funeral industry.
DIVERSIFIED insurance group, Nyaradzo Life Assurance Company, has once again redefined the funeral assurance space by launching a pioneer product, the Sahwira International Plan (SIP), offering air transport, accommodation and transportation for Zimbabweans in the diaspora.
Over the last 17 years, Nyaradzo has produced innovative solutions that have redefined the domestic funeral industry. In 2001, Nyaradzo was the first organisation to introduce buses as a benefit on a funeral policy and this has become standard within the industry.
“Nyaradzo has had its own defining moments; funeral services in the past had the ordinary things, hearses and coffins, but Nyaradzo shifted things by introducing transportation in the form of buses,” Nyaradzo Group chief executive officer Phillip Mataranyika said.
The SIP is a product dedicated to ‘redefine convenience’. The product benefits both Zimbabweans based in the Diaspora as well as their loved ones back home.
“As an organisation that is outward looking, and given that there are millions of Zimbabweans residing outside the country, it was only a matter of time before Nyaradzo developed a product specifically designed for the Diaspora market.
“Mourning the bereaved is important to many Zimbabweans. However, being present can be very difficult without planning. SIP bridges that gap and gives those living abroad the opportunity to be present for the burial of their loved ones,” Mataranyika said.
The plan offers accommodation in Zimbabwe, a fully furnished self-catering two-bedroom apartment for seven days with paid TV channels, water tanks for guaranteed water supply and back-up power, a double cab vehicle for seven days and two return air tickets to the bereaved.
The Nyaradzo founder said SIP entitles policy holders to two return air tickets from wherever they are in the world to Zimbabwe.
“The thinking behind this product is that death comes when least expected and in our culture it is the norm to be present for a family burial whether immediate or extended. However, being present can be very difficult without planning and as Nyaradzo we want to bridge that gap and give people living abroad the opportunity to be present for the burial of their loved ones,” he said.
The second milestone benefit is the provision of accommodation in comfortable apartments.
“As an organisation, we understand that when Diasporans come home to be together with their family during bereavement, they still want the comfort that they are used to abroad. The third innovative benefit is the provision of a double cab vehicle. Customers use the vehicle for the duration of their stay which is capped at seven days. We do not want customers to have transport challenges when they come to bury a loved one and with this product, the aim is to ensure the highest level of convenience,” Mataranyika added.
Nyaradzo has also extended its footprint into South Africa through the opening of a service centre in Randburg. The funeral assurance company is also at an advanced stage of setting up another service centre in the United Kingdom.
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