Watch: Bodies pile up as backlog of cremations escalates

A disaster instead of a backlog is what funeral directors and undertakers believe they will face this winter as only one of the two cremators is currently in operation at the Maitland Crematorium.

In addition, the crematorium was closed for two days in April.

Meanwhile, Drakenstein Crematorium remains closed for the past month - and bodies have been taken as far as the Eastern Cape for cremations.

The City said approximately 105 cremations are possible on one cremator per week if they operate 24/7 which allows 450 cremations per month.

With the crisis, undertakers told Weekend Argus they were forced to utilise Durbanville Crematorium or cremators in Port Elizabeth which incurs additional cost.

The Province has five crematoriums in total, three of which are fully functional, these include George and Worcester.
In a letter to Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell, Chairperson of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) in the Western Cape said,
“There is currently a backlog of 4 weeks for a cremation to take place.
This is devastating to our industry and to the public. Families of the deceased need closure on the death of a loved one.”

Spokesperson for Bredell, Wouter Kriel said, “We have been in contact with the cremation industry on the challenges they currently face.

“It is a combination of events that has led to this situation, including capacity taken offline for maintenance, unforeseen breakdowns and compliance issues,” he said.

In addition, he added that the various roleplayers are working together to find short term solutions to address the immediate backlog that exists, but also longer-term solutions.

Meanwhile, Councillor Patricia Van der Ross said that there were two contracts in place for new cremators at the end of 2023.

For Sheldon Solomon, the Director of Fern Funerals in the Western Cape, the backlog could mean the nail in the coffin.
This as hundreds of clients are left traumatised waiting for their loved one’s ashes.

Solomon took the Weekend Argus team on a tour of his cold storage facility where 15 bodies were inside coffins after a funeral service was conducted and was waiting to be sent for cremation.

In addition to this, approximately 50 bodies were in bags waiting for an earth burial or cremation.