8000 new gravesites to address burial shortage in eThekwini
The municipality will exhume human remains in all gravesites that are 10 years and older, take them and rebury them at a smaller scale cemetery.
IN a quest to address the shortage of burial space in eThekwini, the municipality has 8000 new grave sites available.
Head of Parks, Recreation and Culture Thembinkosi Ngcobo said the municipality has around 65 cemeteries, and 97 per cent of them at full capacity.
In addition to this, close to two thirds of them are no longer operational.
He said this posed a huge challenge for the City and as such, there was an urgent need to come up with other burial alternatives.
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Ngcobo said it was due to this predicament that the municipality resolved to relandscaping Loon Road Cemeteries.
“This process means we exhume human remains in all gravesites that are 10 years and older, take them and rebury them at a smaller scale cemetery where they will remain permanently,” he said.
The municipality instituted this method, which it felt appropriate to make way for new grave sites.
“Through this, families who want to visit the gravesides of their loved ones will be able to do so. They will have full control over the grave spaces and be able to perform an appropriate funeral ritual,” added Ngcobo.
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He said this action was necessitated by the high demand for burial space. To further meet this need, the City is developing a 30-year plan for the provision of burial services.
“Land has been identified specifically for burial space. Specialists are currently busy with environmental impact assessment and geotechnical assessment to ascertain if the land is suitable for graveyards,” added Ngcobo.
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