031010 The Loon Street cemetry in Sherwood – one of the graveyards where the eThekwini municipality is planning to exhume graves as it is running out of burial space. Picture: Vivian Attwood A Durban family is left devastated after discovering that their reserved grave site has been unlawfully allocated to another individual, raising critical questions about cultural respect and burial rights.
Image: File
A KwaZulu-Natal family says it has been left devastated after discovering that a gravesite they had purchased next to their late father’s burial plot at a prominent cemetery was allegedly allocated to another person, reigniting concerns around grave management and respect for cultural burial practices in South Africa.
The family, who requested anonymity, said their father was buried at Lalakahle Memorial Park in Botha’s Hill in October 2015 at Grave No. B179. At the time, they also purchased the adjacent gravesite, B178, intending for it to serve as their mother’s final resting place.
Lalakahle Memorial Park is regarded as one of KwaZulu-Natal’s notable cemeteries and is the final resting place of several prominent figures, including former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Lionel Mtshali and gospel artists Deborah Fraser and Sfiso Ncwane.
The family said they only discovered the issue in August 2025 while visiting the cemetery to prepare for the installation of a tombstone on their father’s grave.
According to the family, they were shocked to find that the adjacent gravesite they had reserved had already been occupied without their knowledge or consent.
They said the incident caused deep emotional distress, describing burial grounds as sacred spaces closely tied to ancestry, dignity, and cultural heritage.
“It is about dignity. Our graves are sacred spaces, and this violation cannot go unchecked,” a family representative said.
The family alleged that when they approached cemetery management, the manager claimed to be unaware of the situation and indicated that an investigation would be conducted.
However, the family said there had been little communication or clarity since then, which further intensified their frustration.
They also raised concerns over new maintenance fees and cemetery regulations that they claim were introduced retrospectively from December 2023.
According to the family, the revised terms were being applied to grave sites purchased years earlier, including theirs, despite the original 2015 agreement governing the burial rights.
The family argued that the retrospective application of the new conditions undermined the original agreement, which stated that interment rights could not be transferred or sold to third parties without the necessary documentation.
They have since formally requested that cemetery management provide a full explanation regarding the allocation of Grave B178, a remediation plan regarding the alleged unauthorised occupation of the site, and clarification on the new maintenance conditions being imposed.
Responding to the matter, Patrick Sibiya, a representative of the cemetery, said complaints involving clients, graves, and cemetery dignity were treated seriously.
However, Sibiya said the cemetery could not adequately respond to what he described as broad allegations without being provided with the identities of the complainants and specific details relating to the matter.
“In order for us to respond fully and fairly, we invite you to provide the specific details of the complaints referred to.
“We are concerned that unnamed and unverified allegations may create a misleading impression of the cemetery and its management.
“We therefore ask that, before publication, you provide us with the specific complaints and supporting information so that we are given a fair and proper opportunity to respond,” he said.
DAILY NEWS