Families traumatised after crematorium breaks down
THREE families have been left traumatised after a Pietermaritzburg crematorium broke down for seven hours, leaving one body partially burnt and two decomposing.
Although the crematorium shut down on Sunday because of load shedding, the Msunduzi municipality said a fault in the city’s electrical grid did not allow for power to be restored at 4pm, which delayed the process.
City spokesperson Thobeka Mafumbatha said: “Unfortunately the incident at the crematorium was beyond our control.”
She said the electrcity department was called in and power was restored at about 10pm.
Anitha Brijlal’s body lay in the incinerator from 1pm until 9pm “halfburnt”, while her family, a local ward councillor and other families tried to contact the municipality.
Her son, Reaan Brijlal, said: “She stayed in the furnace for so many hours and the staff told us her body was not completely burnt. No family should go through what we did, and no person should be disrespected in their final moments this way.”
Only ward councillor Rooksana Ahmed waited with the families until midnight. She was so supportive and empathetic and really tried her best, but no one else cared.”
DA provincial deputy leader Mergan Chetty called for the Msunduzi municipality to be placed under administration and the council dissolved.
“How arrogant and insensitive can this municipality get? It is the incompetent cadre deployment that results in such incidents because people do not know their jobs. The MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube is placing other municipalities under administration, yet ignoring the capital city’s needs. This municipality is on its knees and nothing is being done.”