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- The Rebecca Street crematorium, the only state-run crematorium in Pretoria, has been non-functional since June 2023.
- Residents have resorted to using crematoriums in Krugersdorp and Brixton in Johannesburg.
- The City said it was closed for maintenance but was unable to provide a date for its reopening.
Pretoria residents say the City of Tshwane has no respect for the deceased because the only state-run crematorium has been closed for almost a year.
"It is neither realistic nor bearable for a grieving family to have to drive over an hour for a burial," Laudium resident Himal Ramjee told News24.
The Rebecca Street crematorium has been out of commission since June.
Last year, the City of Tshwane said the furnaces needed thorough maintenance to meet environmental compliance standards.
According to the City's renovation timeline, the first wave of renovations were meant to be completed by November 2023, and the second by April 2024. However, both deadlines were missed.
Waiting in lines
"Dating as far back as 2009, the crematorium has had several challenges and was intermittently non-functional. However, this stint is the longest period in which the crematorium has remained out of order," Ramjee said.
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He added that residents had to travel more than 100 kilometres to either Krugersdorp or Brixton to give their loved ones a dignified send-off.
"This is a service the municipality should provide," he said, pointing out that the delays were costing residents money and time.
"We are waiting in lines to have funerals, like a supermarket with trollies," another resident, Hasmukh Nicha, said.
City of Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba told News24 fixing the furnaces required more resources than they had anticipated.
However, he said the City was working tirelessly to meet the required environmental compliance standards and added that reopening the crematorium was a priority.
He couldn't commit to a date.
