Authorities said the stolen vehicle ran out of gas in the early hours of Sunday morning, then the thieves went into a bar and convinced three women to help them push the hearse to the nearest gas station, The Sowetan reported Monday.

The men told the women the coffin in the back of the vehicle belonged to a relative they were on their way to bury, but the women grew suspicious and phoned a member of the Community Policing Forum.

"They failed to show us papers identifying whose corpse it was, and they appeared to be drunk," said John Dlomo, a member of the CPF.

Dlomo said the two men admitted to stealing the vehicle outside the house of driver Siphiwo Mkhize in the city of Mofolo.

"They told us they had decided they would dump the corpse somewhere along the way, but had not decided what they would do with the car," said Dlomo.