The lady from the funeral parlour said she thought there was only about a third of what should have been there, however I thought there was quite a lot.

BBC: Lena Skilbeck Pic: Gordon Fraser

"Maybe the police should once a month or every six months...come to the parlour and speak to the owner about who has been coming in, " she said.

BBC: A client and prostitute exchanging money

She turned to a funeral parlour owner in uMlazi - the biggest residential area in Durban - for help, he said.

BBC: A coffin in South Africa (28 October 2012)

Equivalent presiding officers before this time were called parlour or prolocutor, and existed as far back as 1258, when Peter de Montfort is said to have presided over the "Mad Parliament" held at Oxford.

BBC: Speaker