No Sunday burials except for special circumstances, a R1 000 penalty for late burials, a R5 000 fee to renew a grave lease, the use of biodegradable coffins and the standardisation of tombstones.
These were some of the proposals made by the eThekwini Municipality’s Department of Parks, Culture and Cemeteries in a bid to ensure the efficient use of burial space.
Also in the pipeline is the proposed recycling of more than 14 000 leased grave sites which have either been abandoned or leased in perpetuity to bring graves back into the “burial stock”.
This was announced on Monday at a cemeteries workshop at Durban’s City Hall, by the department’s deputy head, Christo Swart, to the dismay of religious and community leaders, councillors and representatives of the funeral industry.
Last year the city found itself at odds with residents and religious organisations after it proposed a plan to recycle graves to deal with the lack of burial space.
Yesterday Swart said housing developments and cemeteries were competing equally for land in the city. He suggested to overcome this problem and for the effective and efficient management of burial space, the KZN Cemeteries and Crematoria Act made provisions for the burial of two bodies per grave. This was cost effective, especially for families who could lease a grave for 10 years.
He said presently graves could be leased for a 10-year period at a cost of R690. But, if the lease was renewed after that period, a R5 000 fee would be applicable.
Swart told delegates the implementation of burial thresholds was also key to ensure the equal spread of burials in the municipality.
Swart said the more than 18 000 burials taking place every year, posed a logistical problem. This was exacerbated by the lack of timekeeping by undertakers, especially at the weekends. With 62 cemeteries in the city, the suggested rate of burials is six per week per cemetery.
Swart said the burial threshold would allow for better planning and time-keeping and would reduce overcrowding at cemeteries.
To ensure effective time keeping, the department has proposed a R1 000 penalty for late-comers.
Swart said families and undertakers were given two hours per burial and often failed to keep time, resulting in overcrowding of cemeteries. He said the fine would be a deterrent.
Weekend burials were currently favoured, increasing the costs of burials for the council because it had to pay overtime. On weekdays the total fees for a cemetery supervisor and two grave diggers is R112 an hour. This cost doubled on a Sunday. For the last financial year, R18 million of the department’s R22 million budget was spent on overtime.
Swart said to overcome this, burials should be done during normal hours in the week and on a Saturday. He said Sunday burials should only be conducted under special circumstances.
On indigent burials, Swart said graves could not be leased or tombstones erected until families could refund the total burial costs incurred by the municipality. He said only immediate family would be allowed to attend the burial scheduled to take place on weekdays.
An urgent intervention to assist in the reuse of graves will be the standardisation of tombstones.
Swart said the current use of tombstones was problematic for re-using graves and the maintenance of cemeteries.
The department has proposed the standardisation of tombstones installed at grass level to improve maintenance of cemeteries.
This will entail submitting a plan to the cemetery superintendent or supervisor for approval to meet the proposed requirements and exclusive rights of use of the grave for 10 years.
In light of the critical shortage of land, it was also recommended communities look at other options such as cremation, mausoleum burials and private cemeteries.
There were mixed reactions to the proposals. The Tomb Manufacturers of SA said the proposed regulation of tombstones would be a “death sentence” for the industry.
Head of the association, Thomas Keller, said if the municipality went ahead with the proposal more than 60% of the work force in the tombstone industry would have to be retrenched.
Head of Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries, Thembinkosi Ngcobo, said the proposals were not easy to make but objective solutions had to be found. He said while jobs were important, the environmental impact of burials was also a critical issue.
Other religious and community leaders expressed outrage at the suggestion of grave recycling, saying it went against religious and cultural beliefs. Frustration was also leveled at the proposed R1 000 fee for late burials. Many described it as unaffordable and a ridiculous move.
l Ngcobo said a lack of space at cemeteries had led to some staff members in the department selling graves illegally. He said a recent investigation had revealed 250 grave sites had been sold illegally at one cemetery in the city. Each grave sold for an average of R5 000, Ngcobo said.
“Burying people without a burial order is illegal and we want to discourage the public from engaging in such activities. I want to warn those that persist with this illegal act that if they are caught, the bodies that are buried will be exhumed at a cost to the family.” - Daily News