Paul Kirk
As HIV/Aids and apartheid-era town planning take their toll on cemetery space, Durban may soon have nowhere to bury its dead.
“We have a problem. While old-style town planning has played a role, HIV/Aids is making the situation far worse,” says Royal Ntombela, director of cemeteries and crematoria in the Durban Metro Council.
According to Ntombela, both Umlazi and KwaMashu Durban’s largest townships are completely devoid of cemetery space. In other parts of the city the situation is only slightly better. Burial space is running out fast.
As a result, Ntombela’s department has been forced to undertake a campaign to encourage cremations and gain acceptance for grave “recycling”.
“With cremations we have a cultural problem to overcome. A lot of black people have reservations about the practice, but fortunately we have managed to convince an ever-increasing number of people to opt for cremations. But we cannot force people to accept this option,” he said.
Ntombela says he has also begun a campaign to gain acceptance for the “recycling” of graves in the former black areas of Durban but residents are, in his opinion, often not yet ready to accept the practice.
Graves have been recycled in Durban for many years. This practice, used in Europe for centuries, relies on the fact that, after 10 to 15 years, no remains are to be found in most graves.
“Sometimes, if the soil for the cemetery is not properly chosen, we may find a bone or two. But that is very seldom. When we do, the bones are collected and the hole dug deeper. These remains are then covered and the grave used again for another burial,” said Ntombela.
l People living with HIV/Aids received support from an unexpected source this week His Majesty Goodwill Zwelithini, the king of the Zulus.
Speaking at the launch of the regional Office of the Public Protector in Durban on Wednesday, the king suggested that one of the tasks the public protector should undertake is a study into discrimination against people living with HIV/Aids.
The king said that people should, as a matter of urgency, be taught to accept people with HIV/Aids.