Grave picture of virus fallout in SA emerges

As SA’s Covid-19 death toll continues to rise and with the latest projections and modelling forecasting more than 40,000 deaths by November, municipalities have been told to identify potential mass grave sites.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Monday gazetted new directions which outlined how the remains of people who had died of Covid-19 must be handled and how their funerals and burials or cremations must be conducted.

“Metropolitan and district municipalities should ensure that they identify areas that may be utilised for mass burial should the need arise,” the directions read. “Should the death rate appear to exceed the capacity of available space to keep remains, the government may intervene to facilitate mass burials”.

Any mass burials must be conducted “in consideration of human dignity” and “necessary controls should be put in place to ensure that remains can be identified”.

The new directions have been welcomed by those working in the field.

The chair of the South African Cemeteries Association (Saca), Pepe Dass, yesterday said there was a global shortage of burial space but the Covid-19 pandemic had not yet resulted in an immediate need for additional burial space in South Africa.

“That doesn’t mean the numbers won’t increase, though.”

Dass said the new directions were “quite considerate”.

“If there is a large number of deaths and mass graves are needed, cognisance has been given to ensuring there’s order in the burial process so that remains can be identified later on,” he said.

Stephen Fonseca, Africa forensic manager for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said mass graves had “very negative connotations”.

“The first thing people think of is a very undignified disposal of remains but, in fact, it’s really a last resort for authorities that are simply overwhelmed by the number of cases. We advocate for trench graves, with a single level of bodies parallel to each other.

“What’s important is that the bodies are all numbered. Every single body has to be traceable.”

Fonseca described the new directions as “a very responsible approach from the authorities”.

“What we’ve really pushed for over the past couple of months is that we treat this as a disaster and in every disaster where there’s a potential for harm, there should be a plan for mass fatalities.”

He pointed to a need for “strong community engagement” and said the new directions were respectful of the traditional and religious rites that accompanied funerals and burials or cremations.

“The burial process is such an important part of our lives. It allows people to show their respect and love for a deceased person in a public way and to express the loss that that person’s death represents,” he said. “So, it’s important for that process to be continued, but with the caveat that there are important safety concerns.”

Under the new directions, funeral services are limited to two hours and cremations are “highly recommended” for victims of Covid-19.

Washing or preparing of the remains is allowed, provided those carrying out the task wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and masks.

However, family members are not encouraged to help. Embalming is also not recommended.

Libo Mnisi, president of the SA Funeral Practitioners Association, said the only challenge in the new directions had to do with procuring PPE. “As funeral directors, we will have a challenge.”

– bernadettew@citizen.co.za

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