Capetonians to consider weekday burials

There’s been a week-on-week increase in burials at Cape Town cemeteries 

According to City figures, a total of 638 burials were completed at cemeteries in the past week. This is an increase from 488, the week before.

‘’What we are experiencing now is similar to the previous two waves of Covid-19 infections, when fatalities increased sharply. The City has sufficient capacity to accommodate burials, but if one considers the number of burials at Klip Road in the past week, that equates to an average of 30 a day, which means a lot of foot traffic in and out of the cemetery, increased risk of close contact and increased pressure on staff to manage the situation. We therefore need a collective effort to ensure that we are able to manage the situation effectively, and in the best interests of public health and safety,’’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

Badroodien said the availability of public graves has been impacted by a high water table, at the Maitland cemetery, brought about by heavy rainfall.

‘’In the last week, the Maitland Crematorium completed 84 cremations, while 32 others were transferred to private crematoria while maintenance work on one of the cremators at Maitland was being finalised,’’ added Badroodien.

Badroodien urged funeral organisers to consider weekday burials to help alleviate the pressure on cemeteries

 

Done By: Mitchum George