Bay seeks alternative burial methods

This has forced the municipality to look at alternative burial methods, such as using a substance to decompose bodies to make space for more coffins, or buying additional land for new cemeteries.

Of the 36 cemeteries in the city, 22 are closed because they are full.

At a public health portfolio committee meeting on Friday, Nondumiso Twalo – an SA Local Government Association (Salga) adviser for human development – said a recent graveyard summit revealed that deaths due to the rapid spread of HIV/Aids were causing municipalities to run out of space for burials sooner than expected.