Mayor Morero urges Black communities to consider cremation amid burial-space strain

Call made at hospital event

Speaking at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital this week, Morero told the audience that “The city is running out of burial space,” and warned of the practical limits facing Soweto.

Numbers and cultural argument

Morero said that in Soweto alone “1000 people are buried each month”, and said this pressure on land demands cultural adaptation.

On tradition and belief

The mayor argued that people should accept cremation without fear that it will anger ancestors. He said the Bible teaches that “when a person dies, the body perishes,” and added that “ancestors will not turn against people who choose to cremate their dead.” He told the audience the ancestors “will understand.”

Warnings about future space

Morero said that very soon Soweto will have no space to continue traditional burials, and described space for cemeteries as “a major challenge.”

What he asked of communities

He called on Black people to move away from strict adherence to burial customs and to “learn to cremate” as a response to the practical crisis he described.