The rainy weather in the province has disrupted some of the City of Cape Town’s cemetery operations.
The City said the consistent rainfall in recent weeks has affected water table levels at some cemeteries, which could potentially impact operations in the short term.
The City said that this was not a new phenomenon, but the prevailing weather conditions continued to be a challenge for the cemetery operations
Mayco member for community services and health, Patricia Van der Ross said the City was working hard to manage the situation as best as possible.
“I think we can all agree that this has been a very wet start to winter, and the impacts have been felt all around. Unfortunately, our cemeteries are not exempt, and we are working to manage the situation as best as possible.
The Recreation and Parks Department has implemented mitigation measures, and the City appreciates the understanding and cooperation of families, mourners and undertakers during this time,” she said.
The Recreation and Parks Department said it is committed to providing access to burial services, despite these difficult circumstances.
The City advised undertakers and bereaved families to be aware that there might be a need to prepare shallow graves, depending on water table levels at a particular cemetery. This will limit the opportunity to bury a second coffin in the same private grave.
It said that parking, roads and pathways might be unusually flooded, or slippery, and advised the public to exercise extreme caution.
The City advised that locals wear suitable weatherproof clothing and non-slip shoes to avoid slipping.
“Arrive timeously at the burial and do not exceed the 30-minute time slot, so as to alleviate parking congestion. Consider a smaller number of people attending burials, particularly during episodes of inclement weather. Exercise caution when carrying coffins and avoid standing too close to open graves.Consider weekday burials to reduce overcrowding of cemeteries on weekends,” the City said.
The City said it should be noted that where necessary, it reserves the right to advise against requests for reopening of a family grave if it is in an area of the cemetery where it is very waterlogged and/or recommend an alternate grave or an alternate cemetery.