Residents of Mthayisi village near Mbizana in the Eastern Cape are living in both fear and shock as they find it difficult to understand how a dead woman placed in a coffin for burial

Africanspotlight.com reported that 33-year-old mother of five‚ Nomveliso Nomasonto Mdoyi died suddenly after running out of breath, according to her 76-year-old mother, Mandzala Mdoyi.

READ MORE: Police service exam papers leaked and in circulation on social media

However, staff of Lindokuhle Funeral parlour where the funeral was ongoing noticed on the eve of the final day for interment that the corpse had given birth to a baby in the coffin.

Fundile Makalana who owns the funeral parlour repoirtedly said, "We were so shocked and frightened that we did not even have time to look at the sex of the baby. I have been in the business for more than 20 years and I have never heard of a dead woman giving birth."

The bereaved mother also expressed shock about how her 9-month pregnant daughter could give birth in the coffin ten days after death.

"First‚ I was devastated by the untimely death of my daughter and now I got the shock of my life to learn that she has given birth while she had been dead for 10 days. What is that? God please come and intervene‚" Mandzala Mdoyi said.

A family spokesperson, Bikelwa Mpith is quoted as saying, "We cannot sit down and fold hands as if it is business as normal. We want to know more about this‚" indicating the family’s intent to consult medical experts for a possible explanation to the bizarre development.

READ ALSO: Doctor in court seeking legalisation of female genital mutilation

Meanwhile, the Daily Dispatch Newspaper reportedly spoke with some medical experts who said, “foetus could be expelled from a mother's body as a result of the contraction and relaxation of muscles during death and later as bacteria began to cause changes in the body.”

Both the Nomveliso Nomasonto Mdoyi and her baby were reportedly placed in the same coffin and buried on Saturday, as the baby also did not survive.