A MUNICIPAL letter advising that no further burials may take place in the memorial sections of three Nelson Mandela Bay cemeteries has sparked widespread fears of job losses in the tombstone industry.
The burial service companies received the notice, dated December 1, on Monday, informing them burials at the Forest Hill, Bethelsdorp and Matanzima Road cemeteries would only be allowed in the berm sections and not in the open sections and memorial sections of these cemeteries.
The berm section only allows for the erection of a headstone while the memorial section allows for the use of a headstone and a stone slab over the gravesite.
Dumisani Vantyi, of Vantyi and Vantyi Funerals, said the restrictions would not work, especially for certain cultures.
"Those berm sections have been there for a while but some people, especially black people, do not use them because when they unveil a tombstone, they want the whole thing, not just to put up a headstone.
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