Time To Recycle Graves,. In South Africa

According to this Independent Online artice, the Municipalty in Durban, South Africa is running short of burial space in their towns cemetries and is thinking of introducing drastic steps to solve this problem. A surge in HIV/Aids related deaths and a scarcity of land has exacerbated this problem.

Presently the lease period for burial space is for ten years. The authorities are thinking of multiple burials on top of each other and this is sure to cause a huge uproar.

Expert on Zulu culture Reggie Khumalo said recycling graves remained taboo among Zulus and Africans in general, simply because people attached respect to a grave as "a final resting in peace" for loved ones

"It's also important to mention that among Zulus we tend to believe that our loved ones who have departed are still with us - hence the practice of speaking to the graves when important cultural rituals have to be performed," said Khumalo.He said that people would find it difficult to speak to their departed loved ones if someone else completely unrelated to the family were in the same grave.