Gabrielle Union slammed for burying Father’s ashes on SA land
Social media came to a storm when Gabrielle Union shared a post on social media burying her father’s ashes under the vines they planted in a Cape Town winery in 2022.
On April 5, 2026, Gabrielle Union shared the news of her father’s death with the entire world through heartfelt tribute posts on her social media pages. Her father worked as the U.S military officer, with no evidence to his impact during the apartheid regime nor do they have any blood roots or connections in the country.
Burying the ashes in SA
The burying of the ashes was a thoughtful gesture and something authentic, but did she ever stop to think about the cultural practices and the emotions she evoked on South Africans rather than what would make her happy?
In the South African sphere, burying a loved one is a sacred thing and each step needs to be respected. For one, Gabrielle had the ashes in her pockets, her father passed away in his home country and has no ties with where he was buried except for the tree, and he is now buried miles away from home. Dr Zolani Mkiva, the manager of the Mkiva foundation and a figure that is involved in African Regeneration and the revival of moral values said, “This is strange and cannot be encouraged.”
What makes this incident stand out is the pattern it fits into and not just Gabrielle’s act. Time and again, Americans engage with the South African spiritual and cultural practices in ways that are unacceptable. The Zulu Parade that sparked controversy last year shows the same patterns, sacred practices repackaged as entertainment. This shouldn’t be normalised.
Instagram user nony_mlambo shared a comment under Gabrielle’s post and said:
“Respectfully, we ask that our land and the spiritual equilibrium of the land be respected. South Africa is not a place where our customs and the way of the land can be casually set aside. It has its ways, its community value, its sacred traditions and protocols woven into the soil, connected to and guarded by its people. To bury ashes of those not rooted of this land in vineyards or spaces not consecrated for such purposes is not our practice, nor our norm. It unsettles the harmony between land and people, and risks being seen as disregard for what we hold sacred as South Africans. With your reach and influence, Gabrielle, we trust that such acts are not normalised by your people or others thinking this is okay. Our ways and customs must be respected, just as we respect and honor them ourselves. Perhaps this arose from lack of knowledge or consultation with credible and correct channels such as religious and traditional leadership for guidance kodwa akuyensiwa so, sisi.”
South Africans felt disrespect to their cultural and spiritual practices even though they semphatize with her.
