New cemetery a possibility for Great Brak

The Mossel Bay Municipality is looking into establishing a new cemetery in Great Brak.

Two cemeteries, End Street and Wolwedans, currently exist in the area, but End Street is already full, while Wolwedans is expected to be full in 2025/26.

According to council the community in the area has expressed the need for a new cemetery since 2019 and also does not wish to make use of the Pinnacle Cemetery.

The Pinnacle Cemetery is approximately 20ha in size and approximately 4ha has been developed at a cost of approximately R7.2m. Due to the speed the current developed portion is filling, an amount of R2.5m was approved on the 2023/2024 capital budget with another R2.5m placed on the 2024/2025 capital budget for further development. Current indications are that the R5m will not be sufficient to develop the next 4ha.

As per the agenda of the open council meeting held at the end of November, the estimated cost of a new cemetery is between R10m and R20m with a minimum development period of two to three years.

After many discussions, investigations as well as site visits, three possible sites were identified for the establishment of a new cemetery in Great Brak.

Possible sites

Terrain A: A portion of portion 1 of farm 142

This terrain would be the first choice as it is situated directly across the road of the western end of the current Wolwedans Cemetery as well as opposite the current Great Brak Landfill Site. Approximately 3 045 plots could be laid out on this site with an option to enlarge the area.

The land is in private ownership and would therefor have to be obtained through an appropriate process.

Terrain B: A portion of erf 4789

This municipal owned property would be the second choice to use for a new cemetery. It is the smallest of the three sites as there is a steep slope that renders one part of the site not suitable to be developed as a cemetery. It is estimated that there will be space for approximately 1 740 burial plots. Terrain C: A portion of erf 4799

This privately owned land is the largest of the three options and will also have to be obtained through appropriate processes. It is situated next to a dam that might pose a problem in terms of the environmental process that will have to be followed. If the area will be suitable for a cemetery, approximately 6 090 plots could be laid out.

Processes to be followed to establish a cemetery include written permission from private owners of terrains A and C to have provisional geological tests done by an appointed professional as well as the appointment of said professional followed by the testing.

If terrain A complies with all the requirements, the process to obtain the property will commence. If terrain A does not comply, the process will be repeated for terrain B. The same applies if terrain B complies and if not, continuing with terrain C. If none of the identified properties comply, other options will be sought.

Costs and timeframes

The cost for the procurement of the private owned land has yet to be determined.

The fees for the professional consultant can be between R50 000 and R180 000 for the preliminary tests and the process can take between six and eight months.

An amount of between R150 000 and R200 000 will have to be budgeted for the environmental impact assessment and environmental approval. This process will take approximately six months.

As the cost for the new Great Brak River Cemetery will be more than R200 000, a tender process will be followed to appoint a contractor for the construction thereof. The tender process will take approximately four to five months, with construction another six to eight months.

Space at Wolwedans

There is also an extremely vandalised ablution facility at Wolwedans Cemetery that could be demolished and can be used for burial space.