Families who bury their loved ones on land that is not officially demarcated and recognised as a cemetery, stand the risk of losing the deceased’s remains forever.
“Burials that take place in ‘illegal cemeteries’ are not officially recorded by the municipality and are therefore unprotected,” said metro spokesperson Mandlakazi Mpahlwa-Sigcawu.
She said the warning comes after the discovery of an illegal graveyard in Magagula Street, in Magagula Heights, close to Zonkizizwe.
Mpahlwa-Sigcawu said that several community members had approached one of the metro’s cemetery officers to complain about the condition of their graves and,when he went to inspect these graves, he learned that they were located in an unknown cemetery.
Ekurhuleni director of parks and cemeteries, Victor Nesengani, suspects that residents have been using the piece of land unlawfully, to avoid paying the burial fee at one of the metro’s registered facilities.
He said the metro has a range of options available to people who genuinely cannot afford the tariff, including second and third internment burials.
The metro appeals to residents who have buried someone in any illegal cemetery to come forward and make arrangements for exhumation and reburial.
They may contact Mafika Moloi on 011 391 2700, or Sanelisiwe Mongoai on 011 999 4650.
