CAPE TOWN - The Mowbray Cemetery will soon have an on-site ghusl facility for washing and preparation for deceased persons.
Chairman of the Moslem Cemetery Board, Faizal Sayed made the announcement earlier this week.
Sayed said the ghusl facilities are an integral part of the process in the preparation of the burial of a loved one.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has left us with many lessons and one of those was the assessment of how prepared we are as a community to respond to a catastrophic situation,” he said.
Sayed said the facility which is currently under construction is nearing completion.
Once completed, the facility will be fully equipped for undertakers and members of the public to prepare a body for burial.
The preparations for burial include the washing and wrapping of the body in the burial shroud (kaffan).
The second deputy president of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC-SA) and chairman of the MJC Burial Administration, Shaykh Riad Fataar said it enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the Moslem Cemetery Board and Mowbray Cemetery, and this relationship brought many fruits to communities.
“We want to say Mubarak to the Mowbray Cemetery for the ghusl facility which they are busy completing.
“This is a great benefit to the community of the Western Cape. We have seen the dire need and this will make life easier during a Janaaza (funeral),” Fataar said.
Advocate Shameemah Dollie Salie, a member of the cemetery board, said as time goes by she cannot believe the ghusl facility is fast becoming a reality.
“Watching the development at Mowbray is indeed overwhelming, knowing how beneficial the project is to the community and generations to come,” she said.
The opening of the facility will be announced soon.
The board has also announced an upgrade to Sayed Moegsien Alawie’s (RA) kramat and the construction of a prayer facility has started on the premises as well.