Candice Austin of Die Ondernemers on working with dead people

An inside look at the funeral business, Die Ondernemers is produced by POP24, the creative minds behind The Mommy Club, This Body Works For Me and Bae Beyond Borders, three of the 10 most-streamed South African shows on Showmax in 2023. Die Ondernemers lands on Showmax on 5 August 2024.

The cast includes Candice Austin, owner of Goodall & Bourne Funeral Undertakers; Jano van der Berg, owner of Van der Berg Funeral Services; and former Stormers rugby player Ramone Samuels, managing director of SamWill Funeral Services, co-owned by his brother, Springbok fullback Damian Willemse. 

Watch the trailer for Die Ondernemers

We caught up with Candice and she gave us the rundown on working with dead people, reality television and so much more. 

What are some of your favourite things about being an undertaker? 

My favourite thing about being an undertaker is walking in my parent’s footsteps, doing something that they were passionate about and then realising that it is my passion too. 

I’m passionate about helping people go through the worst time of their lives. In the process, I make things a little easier for them. I am also there to gently remind them that even though they have lost a loved one, they will find beauty in life again, as I did after losing my parents. 

As a woman in the male-dominated undertaking industry, what are some of the things you’ve had to overcome? 

There are so many things that I have had to overcome. At the top of my mind is trying to get the same respect that males in this industry get. I had to earn their respect by working hard and showing them my skills. I showed people that I was capable and just as good as the men. It was not easy but I did it, alongside my sister. 

Working with dead people would scare a lot of people. Have you ever been scared at work?

I have never been scared at work. My dad always used to say that I should be more afraid of those living than those who are dead – the living can do more harm to you. I have no problem looking at or working with deceased people, but the only few people I could not look at were my parents, father-in-law, the lady who trained me and my uncle. 

Why did you decide to take part in the show? 

I wanted to be a part of Die Ondernemers to educate the public on how the industry works. Many people seem to have a lot of fear and misconceptions and I think the show will teach them a lot. I wanted to also show how a woman can be successful and grow a business in these tough times.

You have a great sense of humour. Where does that come from?

I am a daddy’s girl and that is where I got my humour – he was the biggest clown. Clients would often arrange a funeral with him, and they would walk into the office crying and walk out laughing! 

I realised very early on in my career that working in this industry can affect you negatively. We deal with so many sad emotions every day when we are with our clients, so it’s very important that every opportunity we get at the office, we get together and just laugh and tease each other. We often share stories of my parents, especially my dad, and laugh. He loved pranking all of us at work and then laughing like a naughty child. 

In your opinion, what makes the perfect funeral? 

I always say to my colleagues that we have a very, very important job. We help our clients do the very last thing they can for their loved ones. So we must pay attention to every possible detail the client requests and, most importantly, we try our best to meet every request. So, in short, the perfect funeral happens when your undertaker listens to everything you need and makes it happen. 

What would you like people to learn from the show? 

People will learn that when choosing an undertaker, they need to make sure that they have their own premises and license. They should also check the reviews. 

Audiences will also see my journey into running a business as it’s still fairly new to me. After my parents passed away, I became my colleague’s boss overnight but that doesn’t mean I don’t learn from them every day. 

Audiences will also see a lot of heart in the show: two sisters working together despite our differences and the heartaches we have suffered. 

When arranging funerals, we always see siblings fight or argue. I want to encourage people to understand that no two people are the same. We all have our differences but what’s important is that we learn to tolerate one another and embrace those differences. Death changes you; our parents’ deaths have changed us for the better.

Lastly, what I’d like people to learn or know from watching this show is that I’m obviously the prettier sister! 

Why should people watch?

People should watch this show because we’re funny and entertaining, yet informative. We are not your regular undertakers – we will brighten up your screen in each episode! We want to make our parents Monty and Bridgette proud by carrying through their legacy and we want their light to shine through every week.

Join the conversation: #DieOndernemers