Avalon cemetary

RELATED LINKS: Residents urged to consider other forms of burial As Joburg gradually runs out of burial space City Parks, the council utility responsible for developing and maintaining open spaces in the City, has called on residents to explore alternative ways of burying the dead. Read more Avalon's thousands of graveside cots There aren't many places in the world where you end up in a cot when you're dead and buried. But in Avalon Cemetery in Soweto there are thousands of cots demarcating graves. Read more Turning the Golden City green A new community gardening project aims to bring nature back to various areas of Johannesburg, and help people in less advantaged areas support themselves. Read more

City Parks solves grave problem JOHANNESBURG has set aside a large amount of money to make more burial space available in the city for at least the next 30 years. November 11, 2004 By Lucky Sindane AN estimated R23-million has been set aside for the development of new cemeteries in Waterval, Diepsloot and Riverlea. The new burial grounds, comprising some 277 hectares in total, are currently being developed and will have the capacity for 429 350 graves. According to Johannesburg City Parks, the city now has enough burial space for the next 30 years. "The city has burial space of 581 hectares, with burial capacity for 1 162 200 graves, which will be available for the next 30 years," says spokesperson, Jenny Moodley. Several factors impact on burial space: the lack of suitable open spaces for cemeteries is usually linked to a perched water table, the soil being unsuitable for excavation or soil being impermeable. People's long-standing preference for single grave burials has also led to an under-utilisation of burial space, according to Moodley. Another factor impacting on burial space is a disapproval of cremation by many communities on religious and cultural grounds. "What is needed is a concerted effort to promote multiple burials and cremations as alternative methods which are, in any case, cheaper than the usual single burials," says Moodley. There are currently 34 cemeteries, covering 625 hectares, in Johannesburg - 27 of which are passive cemeteries. This means they are full for first burials, but are open for second burials. Seven active cemeteries are still open for first burials, with space for another 240 200 graves. These are: Avalon, Lenasia, Eldorado, Elandsfontein, New Roodepoort, West Park and Midrand. "Currently the total available burial space in Johannesburg is 397,1 hectares, with a burial capacity of 669 550 graves," says Moodley. A new cemetery in Eikenhoff, comprising 184 hectares and with a burial capacity for 368 000 graves, is earmarked for development in the next financial year, she adds. Johannesburg City Parks is also planning to develop new regional cemeteries in Orange Farm and Protea Glen, to serve the southern and western areas of the city, in the next five years. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za