Outrage at cremation proposal

Religious leaders object to planned burning of animals

HINDU religious organisations have slammed the proposed use of a Durban crematorium to dispose of dead animals — saying it would be an insult to their community.

Last week, the eThekwini municipality and the KwaZulu-Natal department of agriculture said there were plans to use the

This will be a serious violation of Hindu scriptural injunctions, a slight on the community’s dignity

Mobeni Heights crematorium to incinerate dead animals and veterinary waste.

The president of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha, Ashwin Trikamjee, released a statement on Friday condemning the proposal.

“The Maha Sabha objects in the strongest terms possible the eThekwini municipality and the KwaZuluNatal government’s intent to contaminate and defile sacred Hindu prayers and rituals pertaining to last rites, considered to be the most important of all Hindu sacraments,” the statement said.

“This will be a serious violation of Hindu scriptural injunctions, a slight on the community’s dignity.”

He said the organisation had received a number of complaints from members of the public who were outraged by the idea.

The president of the South African Tamil Federation, Karthigasen Moothsamy, said the crematorium was a sacred place.

“We do not want it to be desecrated or used for anything other than what it was intended for — our taxpayers’ money has funded it for a specific reason and we will not accept this. We abhor the idea that the council is even considering this proposal.”

Neeri Naidoo, secretary of the animal welfare group Phoenix Animal Care and Treatment, said she understood the sensitivity surrounding the issue, but it should not necessarily be viewed in a bad light.

“I feel that, being part of Hindu culture and the belief system, you have to respect animals and the thought of reincarnation. I don’t understand why anyone would be so outraged, considering we have respect for all life forms,” she said.

The speaker of the eThekwini council, Logie Naidoo, was not available for comment.

The media liaison officer for the provincial department of agriculture, Jeffrey Zikhali, did not respond to e-mailed questions at the time of going to press.