NATIONAL CEMETERIES & CREMATORIA CONFERENCE
CEMETERIES: ARE THEY AN ANNECESSARY LIABILITY OR AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE?
By: Pumla Radebe – Joburg Unicity
This paper addresses various aspects such as the background of cemeteries, the definition of a
cemetery and a crematorium in South Africa, an outline of the services provided by cemeteries
and crematoria, the costs associated with developing and maintaining these services. Finally the
paper addresses the recurring question, ‘Are Cemeteries an Asset or Liability?”. With respect to
the background on cemeteries the following points are highlighted:
 Why establish them
 History of burials
 Beliefs and practices
 Customs
With respect to the cost of developing and maintaining cemeteries/crematoria the following points
are highlighted:
 Old evaluation to viability
 Current viabilities to viabilities
 Municipal Entities/Subsidies
 Operational Structures
Finally a brief expose on opinions/positions on the 5 aspects is presented.
MANAGEMENT OF THE CEMETERIES FUNCTION
By: Luther Williamson – Managing Director, Joburg City Parks
Geoffrey Cooke – Operations Executive, Joburg City Parks
The paper broadly addresses the challenges faced by the City of Johannesburg concentrating
mainly on past, present and future challenges, the changing environments, the issue of
demographics, as well as burial space. Various management tools are explored such as the
balanced score card. In order to enhance service delivery, the benefits that can be derived from
Information technology are explored as they relate customer focus, access to information
management of finances, the effective use of websites etc. We also explore some of the legal
aspects such as By-Laws, the Undertaker Ordinance – Heritage Act and the laws governing the
development of new cemeteries. Various Interface with customers is discussed with emphasis on
perception management, Funeral director Associations, political influence, and cultural
expectations as well as day to day managements of the service. In conclusion a way forward is
proposed.
INTEGRATED CEMETERY PLANNING: CITY OF CAPE TOWN’S EXPERIENCE
By: Neville van der Westhuizen - Consultant
In fulfilling its local government responsibility regarding cemeteries, the City of Cape Town
recognizes the need for an integrated cemetery planning approach. Evaluated against the
benchmarks set by the City’s 2003 – 2004 IDP, cemeteries need to meet technical planning
criteria in order to contribute to the objectives of a Sustainable, Competent, Caring and Leading
City.
This paper explores the scope of such planning criteria, focusing on:

Recognizing the spatial and urban structuring role of cemeteries, with renewed emphasis
on their functioning as significant public open spaces, places of worship, gathering and
social expression, together with their impact on city form and growth;

Re-assessing the design of cemeteries, emphasizing a functional interface and layout
design, together with appropriate landscaping and grave design in order to address user
requirements, maintenance cost and burial tariffs, efficient cemetery use and the
recognition of cultural diversity; and

Being strategic in cemetery provision including the timeous identification, acquisition and
release of land through integrating city cemetery planning with complimentary city-wide
initiatives (e.g. IDP, SDF) and ensuring desired technical performance (e.g.
geotechnical) through location.
NELSON MANDELA MUNICIPAL WORKSHOP
By: John Pitout – Nelson Mandela Municipality
This paper will provide an summary of the outcomes of a workshop organized by the Nelson
Mandela Municipality. The workshop was largely geared towards bringing the challenges faced
by management in the production of this service. Various issues were addressed such as burial
procedures, religious beliefs and alternative burial methods. Various Faiths were afforded and
opportunity to present their needs, requirements and concerns. This probably poses the greatest
challenge for a department providing this service because of the diversity of requirements, the
entrenched traditions and unwavering beliefs. The Christian faith possibly has the greatest
diversity and it is very difficulty to identify a body that would speak on behalf of all the “Christian
faiths”
The workshop outcomes as presented in this paper highlight the need for continuous consultation
with our communities, providing them with all the information that they need to make informed
decisions.
MEDICO-LEGAL IMPLICATIONS FOR PAUPER CREMATION
By: Dr Gavin Kirk – State Pathologist, Justice Department
The bodies of all persons who have not been medically certified as dying from natural causes
require medico-legal examination in terms of the Inquest Act, among other reasons, to establish
cause of death and identity. Occasionally subsequent exhumation and re-examination of the
body is indicated. This should only be in that small percentage of bodies where a cause of death
has not been established despite full post-mortem examination. Unfortunately medico-legal
autopsies are sometimes inadequately performed and re-examination is occasionally required in
the interests of justice. This applies to all bodies, and is not specific to paupers. Cremated
bodies are not available for such re-examination.
The disposal of unidentified paupers by either method requires some means of subsequent
identification. Most identifications are done by visual recognition and all pauper bodies should be
photographed along with complete documentation of clothing and personal artifacts. With
cremation only one opportunity exists to retain a method or methods of identification. Therefore
retention of tissue for DNA comparison would be ideal. This can be conveniently and cheaply
done by storage of dried blood on absorbent paper, to be available for analysis at a later stage if
required.
PROPOSED POLICY FRAMEWORK MODEL FOR PAUPER & INDIGENT DISPOSAL
By: Pepe Dass – Manager, eThekwini Cemeteries & Crematoria
This presentation will look at present practices and trends of pauper burials within a few major
municipalities and the implications on the use of land and costs. It will also consider the issues of
responsibility for the burial /cremation of the indigent and unidentified paupers in terms of
legislation and the social responsibility of municipalities in terms of their communities. Finally a
model for the burial / cremations of paupers will be proposed.
ART TO DIE FOR
By: Carol Brown – Director, Durban Art Gallery
One of the most important human needs is that of being remembered and leaving a legacy
behind. Some of the greatest art in the world has been created to keep memories alive. Among
the best known of these memorials are the pyramids and tombs of Egypt which are how we know
about life many centuries ago and about the existence of the pharoahs. They are also one of the
biggest tourist attractions in the world.
This paper will show images of some of the more exciting tombstones in South Africa foucssing
particularly but not exclusively on Kwa Zulu- Natal. The images will suggest how memorials tell
us about the type of people and the lives they led through the artistic quality of their tombstones.
It is often forgotten that tombstone art and design links to art history but is even more important in
that it is one of the most personal and important pieces of art which people commission as a
rememberance of their loved ones. The presentation will highlight this neglected artform and will
discuss how we can better publicise our unique cemeteries and perhaps use them more
constructively as tourist attractions.
THE IMPACT OF CEMETERIES AND CREMATORIA ON THE ENVIRONMENT
By: Haroon Karodia – Chief Director, Environmental Management
The last few decades have seen an increasing recognition of the impacts of human activity on the
environment and the critical need to transform our approach on how we plan, manage, and
monitor our activities.
The subject of death has always been sensitive, resulting in the impacts of burial and cremation
remaining largely outside of the mainstream environmental critique. The recent crisis in the
shortage of land space for burial has opened up a space for discourse on this issue.
Promoting the best environmental options for burial or cremation requires a thorough
understanding of the available options and their consequential effects from the burial-cremation
material to post the burial-cremation. Options that need to be analysed holistically and ierrogated
at all levels – ecologically, socially, culturally, religiously, and socio-economically. In a country
such as ours, with a rich diversity of cultural, social, traditional, and religious practices, the issue
of death takes on a similar diversity. As such, responding to death through burial practices differ
to varying degrees with burial containment, burial material and burial procedures.
In essence, a sustainable development approach must be applied to the issue of burial and the
best environmental options should be adopted with sensitivity to socio-religio-cultural practices.
As with any environmental consideration, the objective would be to enhance the positive impacts
and mitigate or avoid the negative impacts.
THE GEOLOGICAL FACTORS WHICH IMPACT ON A CEMETERY
By: Gavin Fisher – Geologist, Port Elizabeth
Research by Fisher (1994) has shown that cemeteries have a fairly severe pollution potential,
especially if sited incorrectly. Leachate produced in a cemetery is of a pathogenic nature and can
pollute surface water features and ground water if located too close. The bacteriological
virological and parasitic organisms in this leachate have been shown to travel far greater
distances within the soil and ground water than previously thought and that the lifespan of some
organisms (especially viruses) within the ground water is sufficient to pose contamination
problems hundreds of metres away under certain conditions. Ground water is a vital resource in
South Africa and sufficient measures should therefore be taken to prevent such additional
pollution.
This paper discusses the geological factors which control decomposition within the soil, and those
factors which control the sub-surface dispersal of pathogens.
PROPOSED MODEL FOR GRAVE RECYCLING
By: Dr Christopher Molyneux – Editor & Chairperson of the Funeral Chamber of the Service
SETA
Ultimately we all end up as skeletons. Based on current burial practices, South African
cemeteries lose R45 million annually. The recycling of graves provides an alternative to traditional
burial. This option has various advantages that are explored. With respect to recycling methods,
the Australian model of ‘lift and deepen’, the South American Model of ‘remove remains and
relocate separately’ and the European model of ‘remove remains and co-mingle’, are presented.
An alternative look at cremation is taken, with emphasis on the Japanese model of cremation.
The areas requiring decision are outlined such as the following: How long initially?; Option to
renew?; How long for renewals?; What about monumental work?; What to do with the remains?
LIFE AFTER DEATH: TRUE FLIES RECOVER THE TRUTH
By: Prof. M. W. Mansell - Entomologist, United States Department of Agriculture
Dr M. Mostovski – Entomologist, Natal Museum
Life does not stop with death. A dead body becomes a functioning ecological system with
numerous invertebrate species involved. The majority is represented by insects and by the higher
flies, in particular. The study of the cadaver fauna constitutes the subject of forensic entomology.
The succession of different insects can help in revealing the postmortem interval. Some flies
demonstrate remarkable behavioral adaptations for development in corpses, with the most
bizarre example being flies of the family Phoridae, or 'coffin-flies'.
THE BURNING ISSUE : BURIAL PRACTICES IN KWAZULU NATAL
By: Rooksana Omar – Acting Director, Heritage
Burial practices in KwaZulu Natal has always been a grand affair, after all everyone wants to
remember and pay tribute to their loved ones. The Zulu Kings were buried in a highly ceremonial
manner and their graves guarded by the community. There have been deviations from the
normal burial practices in KwaZulu Natal which the presenter would like to highlight. However,
over the years the issue of burial practices and counter practice has been largely the subject of
fierce discussion amongst various communities. This paper will reflect on some of these debates
in order to locate this burning issue within a historic context.
TRADITIONAL AFRICAN PRACTICE WITH REGARD TO BURIAL PRACTICES WITH
SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE ZULU PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA
By: Prof. Sihawukele Ngubane – Head: School of Undergraduate Studies,
University of KwaZulu-Natal
To die in the traditional belief is like going back home where you belong thus we use the word,
goduka, this implies that when one dies one rejoins old relatives and friends who had gone
before. When going home one needs respect, dignity and proper burial. Any respectable Zulu
person was buried at home at the back or sides of their respective family-huts irrespective of age
or gender except for the head of the family who is buried alongside the top of the cattle fold. Zulu
burial customs are closely paralleled by the burial customs of the Nika Bantu in Kenya Colony
where the dead are buried in the Kaya (Bryant 1949:716). The burial ceremony observes special
methods of arranging the human body like sitting erect position and in the case where a corpse
was laid upon its back. Corpse burning was absolutely unknown among the Zulu people.
Democracy in South Africa has led to a greater recognition of the wide variety of religious and
cultural practices on its soil. The Zulu people in particular were victims of lack of enjoyment of
their cultural, religious and linguistic rights through urbanisation and immigration from the rural
areas. They found themselves in an environment that is not conducive to practice their cultures
and religions and more specifically, the burial customs. This paper deals with an assessment of
the burial practices and beliefs of the Zulu people. More specifically, it aims to demonstrate the
way of life of the Zulus and their philosophies, and that this assessment can therefore also be
explained in comparison with other African continents. The paper will also provide the possible
ways of rising above challenges faced by administrators of Cemeteries that relates to cultural
practices.
ISLAMIC BURIALS AND RECYCLING OF GRAVES
By: Prof. Suleman Dangor – School of Religion & Culture, University of KwaZulu-Natal
As a general rule, Muslims bury their dead within twelve hours of their expiry. The reasons for this
will be explored. An autopsy, though not generally favoured, is permitted where necessary for
medical and legal reasons. These will be discussed briefly. The funeral rites in Islam, including
the preparation of the corpse, procession to the cemetery and procedure of burial will be
described, underlining the philosophy behind bathing the corpse, bearing it on a bier, and burying
it wrapped up in calico. The recycling of graves will be addressed as a means of maximizing the
use of space. Finally, the view of the cemetery as “sacred space” will be deliberated.
DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD: A HINDU VIEW
By: Dr Thillay Naidoo – Author & Retired Academic
The paper will focus on the reasons for the popularity of cremation as a means of the disposal of
the dead.
THE REALITY OF BURIAL SPACE STORAGE AND CREMATION AS AN ECONOMICALLY
VIABLE ALTERNATIVE.
By: Royal Ntombela, Project Executive, eThekwini Parks Recreation & Culture
People are born everyday and the need to provide for them when they pass on must be
considered. Considering the fact that land does not and will not expand, this challenge becomes
evermore complex. The eThekwini experience with respect to land availability, and more
importantly, suitable land availability is presented against the backdrop of competition from other
sectors in this rapidly developing part of our country. International experiences and practices are
explored highlighting countries in Africa and abroad. A case is made for Cremations as a viable,
more affordable, and sustainable option. As service providers, Local Government would prefer to
provide this service in accordance with cultural requirement for all our communities. This will be
in line with the Governments Batho Pele principles. The reality however may dictate that this may
not be easy to achieve. It is in this regard that our communities are urged to understand that the
proposed alternatives to traditional methods of laying our loved ones to rest are put forward
because of this reality. The communities are therefore strongly urged to work with Local
Government to find solutions in this regard.