People from Tongaat and Verulam may soon have to travel over 40km to bury their loved ones as cemeteries in the area are full to capacity.
This came to light when DA councillor, Brian Jayanathan stumbled upon dug out graves at Desainagar Cemetery last month. He said there were human remains everywhere so he followed up, only to discover that the Ethekwini municipality was trying to create space for new burials on old grave sites.
“Finding out that there was no burial space in and around Tongaat was an even greater shock than finding dug out graves because it means people have to travel to either KwaMashu or Inanda to bury their relatives,” said Jayanathan.
In attempts to solve this problem, the municipality is reusing all graves that are over 10 years old and do not have tombstones, records or leases.
A Gwala Farm sangoma, who wished to remain anonymous, said burying a person in someone else’s grave was unethical and municipal officials should know better than to suggest it.
“In most cultures, not just the Zulu, people often visit the graves of their loved one when they miss them or want to talk to them. For traditional healers like myself we have rituals that sometime require us to go to the graves of our ancestors. If you go and bury someone on top of my great grandfather whose name shall I call when I go to that grave?” he said.
In a public meeting called by Jayanathan last Thursday in Belverdere, residents also emphasised that this was a personal issue, though customs and culture had its role in burial, but the peace and dignity of the dead needed to be respected.
“We all agree that more public consultation should be done on the issue and find a long term solution for the problem because the reuse of graves can only take us so far, especially if most residents choose to lease their family’s graves,” concluded Jayanathan.
People wishing to object to the graves of their relatives being reused should contact the district manager of the parks, leisure and cemeteries where they can apply for a 10 year lease at the cost of R770,70 and this should be done no later than September 30.
For more information on the leasing of graves contact
