Port Shepstone crematorium reopens to public
The hall in which families can say their final goodbyes, prayers or services is also newly renovated.
Residents on the South Coast can breathe a sigh of relief as they will no longer have to travel as far as Durban to cremate their loved ones.
The refurbishment of the Port Shepstone crematorium is now complete and the facility has been fully operational since September 28.
After being gutted by a fire in 2014 and again in 2018, there was dire need for the crematorium to return to a functioning state, especially in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw a shocking increase in deaths.
“The crematorium is leased to private entity ICSA (Independent Crematoriums South Africa) who have since been in charge of the refurbishment process,” explained Ray Nkonyeni’s communications officer, Nomusa Zulu.
The facility is now in excellent condition and measures have been put into place to ensure a similar incident does not occur again.
The walls have been fireproofed, a new cremator installed, both water and electricity are connected, and the gas system has been safely installed.
According to ICSA CEO, Nomakhaya Solombela, “The previous source of energy was paraffin. We have since replaced this with LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) which is cleaner and safer.
Our gas farm has a deluge system which will be triggered if a fire breaks out.
We have also installed a huge tank that stores water together with a pump system to make sure that water is available to put out a fire should the need arise.
Our revamped site meets all the standards and requirements as per the local fire engineer in the municipality.”
The hall in which families can say their final goodbyes, prayers or services is also newly renovated.
This long awaited news has been welcomed by many including funeral parlours, who have experienced firsthand the difficulty the crematorium’s non-operation had caused.
“This comes as a huge relief because it can be emotionally distressing for families of the deceased who have to travel all that way to say their last goodbyes.
It is also very expensive. Hopefully this will help lessen the backlog in cremations that we have been experiencing,” said a funeral director on the South Coast.
Mtshazi added that thorough inspections are completed on a weekly basis to ensure that the system and facility runs as it should.
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