Johannesburg residents must consider alternative burial options to help the city deal with the demand for more burial space, mayor Amos Masondo said on Wednesday.
”The city would like to make an appeal to residents to consider, amongst other options, stack burials and cremations … specifically the use of older graves for the second burial at family-held grave sites,” said Masondo.
He was speaking at the launch of the Diepsloot Memorial Park in Johannesburg.
Masondo said stack burials mean the city can use existing burial spaces more efficiently and alleviate pressure on existing cemeteries.
”Of the 35 cemeteries in the city, 24 have reached full capacity. This means that the number of available burial sites for primary burials is in excess of 700 000. While this is adequate for the next 20 to 25 years, we need to continue to examine non-traditional burial options,” he said.
At the same time he urged residents to help the city ensure that cemeteries are not neglected.
”There is nothing more depressing than a desecrated grave,” said Masondo.
He said a grave site with destroyed gravestones and inscriptions lowers the dignity of people.
”Nothing suggests greater indignity than a grave site that is criss-crossed by barren pathways, and even more shameful is a graveyard that has become a place where shacks are erected and despised souls reside.”
He appealed to Diepsloot residents to nurture and protect the cemetery and to ”desist from dumping and littering”.
He said the Diepsloot Memorial Park, if used properly, could reinforce basic family values.
”Respecting those who are no more can add so much meaning to the land of the living. Cemeteries can no longer be seen simply as a repository for the dead, but as dignified environmental spaces, which add value to life, history and our heritage,” said Masondo. — Sapa