03/09/2026
Launch of District Cemetery Forum
Setting the standard in the province of KZN, the King Cetshwayo District
Municipality launched the District Cemetery Forum yesterday.
In a milestone move for the province, KCDM cemetery management, working with their counterparts in local government and SALGA as an expert in this field, have come together to work in unity to lift each up and strengthen the sector.
The Forum successfully elected its committee on the 26 August 2026 which was presided over by SALGA KZN, and the committee that will lead the Forum is as follows.
Chairperson – Cyril Mtambo (King Cetshwayo District Municipality)
Deputy Chairperson – Ms Nozipho Mahaye (uMlalazi Local Municipality)
Secretariat – Ms Nomfundo Mtiki (City of uMhlathuze)
The Forum will serve a central platform for the Local Municipalities to table and discuss their challenges and solutions at a District level and with the expertise and influence within the structure.
A secondary focus of the Forum is aimed to move beyond the district boundaries, to be a point of reference at both the Provincial and National levels.
Hon KCDM Deputy Mayor Cllr PP Xulu, speaking at the launch, said:
"I wish to congratulate the District Forum members on taking this bold step to unify and consolidate their expertise.
"In our interaction with cemetery management at other municipalities we have picked up some common challenges experienced by all of them, not just here at KCDM.
"One of the key challenges picked up was a capacity deficit. The negative effects of the capacity deficit are also affecting communal cemeteries developed in rural areas under the Traditional Authorities (Amakhosi) and religious formations (churches and temples), where there is a lack of planning for these facilities.
"This planning shortfall often results in these sites/facilities not being registered, being unregulated, and being poorly managed by authorities.
"There is no clear maintenance plan, no structured numbering system for allocated gravesites, and a lack of records of the bodies that are interred within those communal cemeteries.
:Furthermore, this ultimately leads to rural burial sites being neglected.
National and provincial legislation provides comprehensive guidelines on processes and restrictions, including the designation of burial areas.
"Due to the unplanned nature of these burials, future service delivery and development become problematic, as areas and access routes for bulk infrastructure are blocked by both marked and unmarked graves.
"Worst-case scenarios occur when these cemeteries are developed on 50- or 100-year floodplains or floodwater channels, where memorial works are destroyed.
"There were instances where human remains were exposed by the bulk water that runs along their natural channels through those cemeteries.
We know that we cannot resolve these challenges alone, and also that this is common to all our municipal areas.
"For this reason, we felt it fit to join together and share our expertise," concluded Cllr Xulu.
