Burial space is running out, a reality that is facing many cities.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) is encouraging community members to engage in discourse about alternative methods of burial.
Currently, the municipality has burial ground that can last for at least 30 years.
The EMM’s spokesperson, Mr Themba Gadebe said, “We are aware that this is a sensitive issue in terms of cultural and religious beliefs. It is also an emotional matter. However, when all is said and done, the reality demands that we find equal footing and unite to tackle this challenge. The EMM has implemented alternative burial methods aimed at sustainable and effective use of burial space, in addition to the traditional in-ground internment.”
Responding to the much talked about multi-use of graves, Mr Gadebe dismissed the talk that the EMM seeks to bury a person’s family member with strangers in one grave.
“This is not a true reflection of the EMM’s alternative burial strategy. In our strategy, the community and funeral undertakers are informed in a transparent manner of the options to bury family members on top of each other in the same grave – not with strangers,” he said.
Mr Gadebe said the EMM has consulted on numerous occasions with the community and is encouraging conversation about alternative burial methods to continue.
“We have engaged with the community and they proposed various methods of burial which the city adopted,” he said.
The available burial options currently available include:
- Reselling of graves:
This is the sale of graves back to council by people who had previously reserved them and have since decided to utilise other methods instead. This enables the municipality to make the graves available for current burial needs and pay the seller the prescribed cost. Currently there are no reservations allowed for public.
- Cremation:
This is the incineration of bodies in a crematorium. It is the cheapest method and allows family members to know what happened to their loved one’s bodies. The only crematorium in the region is in Benoni, which also offers the free use of a chapel to families who wish to make use of this method. The ashes are made available within 24 to 48 hours after cremation.
- Multi Use:
This is a method of double or triple internments where families can opt to bury up to three family members in one grave.
