Inclement Weather May Impact Cemetery Operations

With the prevailing weather conditions set to last into the weekend, the Cape Town Recreation and Parks Department reminds the public that it could necessitate changes to regular cemetery operations.

Experience has shown that consistent rainfall and/or periods of heavy downpours cause the water table level to rise, which then has the potential to impact operations, like digging graves, or reopening family graves for second burials.

The Recreation & Parks Department has winter readiness plans and contingencies in place to ensure every effort is made to mitigate the risk of inclement weather.

This includes clearing alien vegetation to maximise burial space, servicing water pumps, repairing potholes on internal cemetery roads and clearing storm water channels to promote drainage.

‘While staff try to be as proactive as possible, saturated water tables or flooding pose challenges that are not always easily resolved. The Recreation and Parks Department asks that undertakers and families planning burials please be mindful that these conditions might require shallower graves or alternative burial sites.

‘We also urge undertakers and officiants to try and expedite burials, so that traffic can be managed more effectively in and out of the cemeteries and to also limit people’s exposure to conditions underfoot,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.

CEMETERY OPERATIONS DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER:

• Cemetery staff might need to prepare shallower 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.
• The City also 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.
• Parking, roads and pathways might be unusually flooded, or slippery, and the public is advised to exercise extreme caution.
• Wear suitable weatherproof clothing and waterproof non-slip shoes to avoid slipping and puddles.
• Arrive timeously at the burial and do not exceed the 30-minute timeslot 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 in cemeteries on weekends.
• Undertakers should exercise caution with gazebos which are prone to injuring mourners if swept away in the wind.
• The City also reminds undertakers to abide by the specifications for gazebos as outlined in the Cemetery by-law, and to refrain from the use of stretch tents and marquees.