Cold fronts approaching the Western Cape this coming weekend, could bring along 80% rainfall, according to the South African Weather Service (SAWS).
Now the City of Cape Town says this rain forecast could affect grave depth.
With the soil already saturated, it will not take a lot of rain for flooding to occur.
Patricia Van der Ross, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, said during the last severe weather earlier this month, the City’s Recreation and Parks Department facilitated 117 burials on a Saturday.
Van der Ross added that “cemeteries are incredibly busy on weekends, and this coming one will be no different. Our teams are on hand to ensure that operations proceed as smoothly as possible under the circumstances, but if the forecast holds, there will likely be an impact. Cape Town has experienced a lot of rainfall this month, so the soil remains very saturated. As we’ve indicated before, this could affect grave depths or reopening of existing graves for second burials, resulting in delays or even force the use of an alternate grave. I also want to call on funeralgoers to please try and expedite burials, so that we can manage traffic in and out of the cemeteries, but also limit people’s exposure to conditions underfoot.”
In a statement, the City reminded residents to exercise caution as roads, pathways and parking lots could be flooded or slippery.