STATEMENT BY MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES AND HEALTH, COUNCILLOR ZAHID BADROODIEN.

Earlier this week I met with the Khayelitsha Development Forum and other community stakeholders to address concerns they had after the blaze which swept through Burial Block E of the Khayelitsha cemetery on Monday, 31 December 2018.

The role players have agreed to work collaboratively with the City of Cape Town in order to address the concerns raised.

The City is committed to expedite the process of contacting families to inform them of the damage upon the respective graves.

This includes advertisements in local media to inform families of the mechanisms to contact the City and a dedicated phone line as a contact point for families to check if the gravesites of loved ones have been affected.

We hope to conclude the identification of the affected graves and to communicate directly with the families by the end of next week.

To ensure this process is as thorough as possible we will keep a record of our efforts to reach family members.

The community has requested an interfaith ceremony and we are working on ensuring this is inclusive and takes place as soon as possible.

Role players also raised issues related to ongoing maintenance, security and the possibility of establishing a cemetery advisory body. I would like to assure the community that their concerns have been noted and will be addressed.

Anyone with information or enquiries about the cemetery and the graves, can visit the Recreation and Parks office on the corner of Spine and Makhabeni Roads (near the Lingelethu West police station) or call 021 444 9378.

The City’s Fire and Rescue Service is undertaking a full investigation in an attempt to establish the cause of the fire and I once again appeal to any members of the public who may have information about the incident to please report it to the police.

Source: City Of Cape Town