Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s Maitland Crematorium’s second cremator has reopened after some maintenance that started on April 24.
The reopening comes after the cremator received the necessary authorisation from the Air Quality Control authorities and passed the required stack tests that measure air quality emissions.
The City has confirmed that its Maitland Crematorium is now in full operation starting this week following its closure about two months ago due to maintenance.
The crematorium is scheduled to operate 24 hours, seven days a week “to assist in this period of high demand”.
“With both of the City’s cremators fully functional, the cremation capacity has returned to normal. It is anticipated that the increase in cremations on a daily basis will start having a positive impact and ease the backlog that was starting to build up, as well as alleviate the pressure on the overall system.
“It is important to note that while the City has it at full capacity, there is still work to be done to catch up, and the City will optimise all options to ensure the backlogs are reduced as speedily as possible,” the City said.
It acknowledges the pressure and impact undertakers were currently experiencing and how important it was for families to finalise final resting arrangements for loved ones.
It is committing itself to conducting regular meetings with undertakers and religious fraternities to engage on relevant matters, so as to ensure understanding of any challenges within the burial and funeral industry and the services the City renders in this space.
Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, said: “Losing a loved one is a stressful time, especially planning to lay them to rest. We are aware of the backlogs and have worked hard to ensure the second cremator came online again as soon as possible. We are working on expanding our cremator capacity in future. We will communicate these details once finalised.”