DRAFT COPY
The Burning Issue: Burial Practices in KwaZulu-Natal
By
Rooksana Omar
In the Natal Advertiser of 31 August, 1898 The Cape Register responded to an earlier
article written in the Natal Advertiser entitled “A Plea for Cremation” in the
following manner “We note that the “Natal Advertiser” advocates the erection of a
crematorium for Durban, as the cemetery is already over-crowded and encroaching
upon the town. It is really wonderful that cremation has made so little progress since
the agitation for its more extended use commenced some years ago. For a warm
country like this, where climatic influences have such a powerful and speedy effect
on human remains, cremation seems to be the best and most sensible way in which to
dispose of them. It effectually prevents them being a source of danger to the living
and the spread of infectious diseases would be reduced by the destruction by fire of
the body whose death has been caused by such diseases. But we suppose sentiment
is too strong for such a reform in sepulchre. Doubtless in the year 1998 cremation
will be the recognized mode of disposing of our dead, but that time is not yet”
Well it is 2004 and we are still debating and campaigning about the very issues that
consumed the attention of the white residents of Durban one hundred ago, except
that the debate was confined to the white population of Durban. While the current
day debate has been broadened to include all sectors of our population in the
eThekwini Municipality, the common issues discussed then and now are
overcrowded cemeteries, disease, sanitary disposal of human remains, environmental
pollution, grave maintenance costs, the cost of building a crematorium and the
related to the cost of burial as opposed to cremation. In 1898 there was an extensive
debate about the quality of ones grief in relation to the burial method of laying ones
loved one to rest and the quality of ones grief when cremating ones loved one.
Needless to say the readers of the Natal Advertiser were assured that the grief one
experiences at the funeral ritual is the same, except that the end result would differ
because in the case of cremation the result would be clean ashes that could be placed
on a mantle piece at home and in the burial method one would have a space to
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continuously maintain and pay ones religious respects.
All of this debate was
sparked of in 1898 when Mrs. Lynn Linton, authoress was cremated on her death.
The article mentions that “the deceased authoress has given practical proof of her
appreciation of the value of reformed sanitation”
A current day comparison is the death of Brenda Fassie and her choice to be
cremated. This choice has certainly sparked allot of discussion about the practice
and effect of cremation.
Between the time of Ms Fassie’s death and that of Mrs.
Lynn Linton death the Debating society of Durban in the 1930’s debated the issue of
Cremation. Incidently, this debate followed from the official opening of the privately
owned Durban Crematorium at Stellawood Cemetary. The shareholders of the
crematorium stated that in the 10 years since the opening of the Crematorium they
had done some 500 cremations. Twenty five White Christians were cremated in the
first year, of a population of 52,203 Whites that resided in the borough, 0.0489%
opted for cremation. By 1936 the White population of Durban grew to 88,065 and
123 people were cremated and this number represented 0.13% of the population
which tells us that there was an increase of 0,08%, less than 1% within 9 years.
Today it is clear that cremation receives favour from amongst the White Christian
community since 75% of this religious and ethnic group opt for cremation.
For the purpose of debate in this conference one of the conclusions I am able to
make is that whilst White Christians were following European and American trends
with regard to the disposal of their deceased, it becomes apparent that once they
were able to build a commercial crematorium run according to their religious values
cremation begins to became an acceptable practice. In that period this was as much
about racism and creating ones own facilities.
While I haven’t noted any public debate from amongst the Jewish community in
eThekwini it is apparent that there are two distinct schools of thought with regard
Cremation. Rabbi Dr P Zekry of the United Hebrew Congregation has categorically
stated that “In-ground burial is the only acceptable manner for the dignified interment
of the dead according to Jewish law. This principle is derived directly from the
Torah (the Mosaic Law, which forms the legal basis of Judaism)”. Rabbi Michael
Standfield of the Durban Reform Synagogue states “that there are different ways of
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dealing with the question of providing a dignified disposal of a human body
Cremation in its modern form is but one of these. Whilst burial in the ground
remains the norm, we have no ideological conflict with the custom which is now
popularly by many as clean and appropriate to modern conditions”.
Presently, 2% of the African and Coloured population opt for cremation in the
eThekwini Municipality.
This aversion to cremation needs to be located within a
much larger cultural and social practice of the AmaZulu who have a very clear belief
system about the role of the dead in the transition from one phase of life to another.
The ancestors or the amadlozi play a very important role in the well being of the
family.
Cremation has never been a part of the belief system of the AmaZulu. While there
was an isolated case of cremation I think it is important to recount it as it gives one
an insight into why it might have been performed. Kuzwayo Ka Simamane according
to Mmemi Ka Nguluzane (interview conducted by James Stuart, 8 September,1904,
p238 - 283) “was attended by these circumstances. It was decided all the people
should gather firewood.
A very large pile, as big as an European house was
collected. It was put on top of a large flat rock where the Mhlatuze and Inkwayinye
conjoin. The chief was placed under the wood and the whole set ablaze, burning to
cinders. Branches were then obtained and the people proceeded to sweep the whole
of the ashes into the Inkwayinye stream…. Kuzwayo died a natural death. I do not
know why he was cremated, nor do I know of any other kings before him that were
burnt”. Mmeni went on further to describe where Kuzwayo was cremated. Kuzwayo
was burnt at eNoqorweni (eNqoklweni?) hill where the Nkwaiyinye enters the
Mhlatuze. In consequence of this cremating of the King( previously explained), no
child of the Qwabe tribe grows up without being burnt, falling into the fire, etc. I do
not hear that Sidinane, Mahlobo or Qwabe were cremated. I cannot think why
Kuzwayo was burnt. I know of no other chief of our tribe who was cremated before
or since Kuzwayo’s case. (The only other cremating of corpses I hear of is the
Indians (coolies) of Natal. I know of no other tribe or nation.) It is possible he was
burnt so that no other tribe or person could dig him up and use him for takataing
with, but I cannot vouch for this in any way”. K.E. Masinga, the founder of Radio
Zulu,
Journalist, translator of Shakespeare into Zulu, and cultural activist was
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cremated when he died in the June1990 and it would appear that his choice to be
cremated created great consternation in the Zulu speaking community.
The ceremonies connected with the burial of a Zulu King do not differ materially
from those of ordinary people , except that the death of the King has an impact and
affects the whole of the nation for example when King Solomon kaDinuZulu died in
March 1933, the Ilanga lase Natal exclaimed ““We have died, Zulu people! We
have no place to hide! He is no more, the honey bird that drinks from deep pools (a
line from his praise poem)! The giver of rest has gone! We are like sheep without a
shepherd””(Zulu Potentates: from the earliest to Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, by M.Z.
Shamase, S.M. Publications, 1996, p102). In the Colonial period the death of the
King was kept a secret from all his subjects for various reasons which I will not go
into in this paper but what I will state is that after it was publicly announced that the
King had died he was buried in a very specific way and at a very specific spot
overlooking the Royal Residence. At the end of the mourning period the Kings
original palace where he resided in was moved and the old one burned. While all
efforts were made to ensure that fire would never go anywhere close to the Kings
grave, fire was used as a means to cleanse the old Royal Residence of disease and
bad spirits. With regard to the Zulu Kings after the death of King Cetshwayo
kaMpande, subsequent Kings were buried according to Christian rites, although
traditional Zulu Customs, such as watching of the grave, are still adhered to.
While the residents of Durban have always associated cremation with the Hindu
community, the provision of services set aside for cremation deserves some mention.
It is not my intention to evaluate the practice or make any statements about the
religious and philosophical reasons for cremation in this paper. In Durban during the
colonial period the municipal authority allowed the Indian Hindu community to use
their own funds to build two crematoriums. They were built in the 1880s and 1890s
respectively. These crematoriums were on Umgeni Road and Cato Manor. Today in
the eThekwini Municipality there are five crematoriums. The council owns the
Tongaat and Mobeni Crematoria, Veralum, Clare Estate and Stellawood Crematoria
are privately owned. The largest crematorium is at Clare Estate, with five furnaces.
The Hindu Cremation Society, still an active organization, has ensured that the
customary practice of cremation is provided for and practiced.
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Even today 99% of all Hindus are cremated on death. Note that within the Indian
community Christian Indians and Muslims do not cremate their deceased. There has
been an occasion when a Muslim man asked his family to cremate him when he died.
While the family honoured his wishes the Islamic Ullayma upon hearing about this,
went to the Municipal crematorium at Mobeni in an attempt to stop the cremation.
However, his family all muslims honoured his wish to be cremated.
Since 1997(ca)
The Cemeteries and Crematoria Department of the eThekwini
Municipality have been campaigning for all the residents of Durban to make
informed choices about how they would finally prefer to depart from this world. This
public education process has been a very controversial like in the 1890’s into the
1900’s. Once again this debate has been initiated by the Municipality, as was done
in the past. Only this time the debate has been broadened to include all the residents
of the Municipality, not just the white population and the issue that is central to the
debate is about choices. While the medium to embark on the public awareness
programme is slightly different because the campaigns includes plays, the use of the
Municipal website, radio interviews and television, some issues remain the same,
these are: diseases and the plagues that are affecting our society, the cost of setting
aside fertile land for graveyards, environmental impacts, cost of grave maintenance,
land scarcity, cost of funerals and religious practices and beliefs, overcrowding of
cemeteries and cultural practices.
There are other differences from those early
debates which must be recognized: those being the theft of grave stones, safety in
cemeteries, unusual rituals being performed at cemeteries and crowd control at
funerals.
The debates about funeral practices have been going on for the last 100 years. From
this analysis of the historical records it is apparent that there is a need to develop a
clear strategy that will lay out a solid communications plan for the short term,
medium term and long term. This communications plan should segment the various
psycho-graphic and demographic groups that have to be targeted. This means that
very clear action plans and desired outcomes have to be laid out in order to ensure
that the widest possible choices and options are available for the disposal of the
deceased.
What emerges from these debates is that there needs to be greater
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tolerance for the choices individuals have made. After reviewing and evaluating
some of the evidence it is evident that there is a need to actively support discussion
with the business community, the religious fraternity, political leaders and the
ordinary citizens to embrace alternative methods of laying to rest the deceased. In
my paper I have referred to some rare instances of cremation from the broader
population of KwaZulu-Natal, these instances were turning points in raising the
consciousness of people to look at alternative ways of funeral practices. This also
means that there needs to be a re-evaluation of funeral practices and its scriptural
basis. This is not about changing fundamental belief systems but about opening and
accepting that there are alternatives and different forms of funeral practice. Perhaps
this final choice in life should be left to the individual. I would like to remind you
that it took white Christians, a small segment of the eThekwini population, decades to
change their burial practice with the debate beginning in 1898. This implies that it is
going to take another 100years of hard work to have any success in stimulating wider
acceptance of the host of choices at their disposal.
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