THE City of Durban is worried about where to bury its dead. So severe is the crisis that officials are even considering burying the dead in a standing position.
What's more, city arts and living cultures manager Monwabisi Grootboom said it had no money in its coffers to establish any new cemeteries.
It costs R20million to develop a new cemetery and an extra R2million to maintain each one on a monthly basis.
As far back as 2000 the city warned that due to the increase in Aids-related deaths only seven out of the 22 cemeteries in the city remained open.
By September this year eThekwini municipality's head of parks, recreation and culture, Thembinkosi Ngcobo, said 59 of the 60 cemeteries in Durban were full.
KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of HIV infections in the country.
"For this reason we have decided to help eliminate the problem of space shortage for cemeteries," Grootboom said.
"Some of the proposed methods are: vertical burials, cremation, freeze drying and the recycling of graves."
No room for the dead
THE City of Durban is worried about where to bury its dead. So severe is the crisis that officials are even considering burying the dead in a standing position.
What's more, city arts and living cultures manager Monwabisi Grootboom said it had no money in its coffers to establish any new cemeteries.
It costs R20million to develop a new cemetery and an extra R2million to maintain each one on a monthly basis.
As far back as 2000 the city warned that due to the increase in Aids-related deaths only seven out of the 22 cemeteries in the city remained open.
By September this year eThekwini municipality's head of parks, recreation and culture, Thembinkosi Ngcobo, said 59 of the 60 cemeteries in Durban were full.
KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of HIV infections in the country.
"For this reason we have decided to help eliminate the problem of space shortage for cemeteries," Grootboom said.
"Some of the proposed methods are: vertical burials, cremation, freeze drying and the recycling of graves."
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