The human bones and skulls that were found dumped in an illegal dumping site near Isipingo south of Durban are believed to have been extracted from a private cemetery for the purposes of a new burial space.
The human remains, which were in several blankets, were discovered by the waste pickers on Tuesday morning who alerted people who live nearby. The neighbours then called the councillor and the headman (induna).
A source at the scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the suspicion is that the human remains were dug out at night from a private cemetery and dumped in the area to make way for new burial space.
“We are not sure what would be the motive of digging out the bodies of people and a police investigation will determine this,” said the source.
Speaking at the scene, ward 93 councillor Thabisile Zungu said upon receiving the information she alerted the eThekwini municipality’s Parks and Creation department, which manages cemeteries. She said local community members in the area also told her that the first discovery was on Monday and the dumping continued on Tuesday. She that all the remains that were found were taken by police.
Induna Khangelani Makhanya said he would report the matter to the traditional authorities and they will also wait for the police investigation. EThekwini Municipality official Mlungisi Ntombela who was also at the scene, said there was no indication that bodies were removed from public cemeteries.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda had not yet confirmed that police are investigating.
The eThekwini municipality is facing a shortage of burial space and has been encouraging people to consider cremating their loved ones. The matter came under discussion in a recent South African Practitioners Association international conference in Durban. The conference also encouraged people to consider a new form of burial known as aquamation, which uses specialised chemicals to decompose the body within three hours. This form of burial is an alternative to cremation.
