Funerals taking place in stormy weather conditions are in the spotlight. Officials from the City of Cape Town want those attending funerals, especially over weekends, to expedite these burials, with another severe weather warning that has been issued for the Metropole.

Inclement weather funerals under the magnifying glass

Residents have been advised to prepare themselves for an Orange Level 5 Warning for Disruptive Rain. This can lead to the flooding of roads. There can also be flooding in other settlements.

“The warning for disruptive rainfall this weekend coincides with one of the busiest days of the week for City cemeteries,” adds Van der Ross.

READ MORE: Capetonians in for more heavy rains this weekend

This warning is in place over the City of Cape Town, the Cape Winelands and the Theewaterskloof municipality, for this Saturday 27 July.

Hasten burials amid inclement weather

The Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia Van der Ross says even though they’ve advocated for more burials to take place on weekdays, Saturdays remain the most popular day for a variety of reasons.

Van der Ross says “Our cemeteries are incredibly busy on weekends, and this coming weekend will be no different.”

She says during the last severe weather spell earlier this month, the City’s Recreation and Parks Department facilitated 117 burials on that Saturday.

Please expedite burials asks City

Funeral-goers should ready themselves for more wet weather this weekend. City officials say with the soil already saturated, due to earlier storms, it will not take a lot of rain for flooding to occur, this time around.

More from the MMC: “Cape Town has experienced a lot of rainfall this month, so the soil remains very saturated. As we’ve indicated before, this could affect grave depths or reopening of existing graves for second burials, resulting in delays or even forcing the use of an alternate grave.”

The City has issued some safety tips when visiting cemeteries during periods of inclement weather:

-> Roads, pathways and parking lots could be flooded, or slippery, so be cautious.
-> Wear weatherproof clothing and waterproof non-slip shoes to avoid slipping and puddles.
-> Arrive timeously at the burial and do not exceed the 30-minute timeslot to alleviate parking congestion.

-> Consider a smaller number of people attending burials, particularly during episodes of inclement weather.
-> Exercise caution when carrying coffins and avoid standing too close to open graves.
-> Undertakers to exercise caution with Gazebos in windy conditions.

READ MORE: Roads storm damage report – July 2024

Van der Ross concluded, “I also want to call on funeralgoers to please try and expedite burials, so that we can manage traffic in and out of the cemeteries, but also limit people’s exposure to conditions underfoot.”

Here is the South African Weather Service Advisory:

A significant cold front is expected to affect the Western and Northern Cape from Saturday to Monday (27-29/07/2024). The public and small-stock farmers are advised about the expected intermittent heavy downpours, snowfalls, icy conditions, strong coastal and interior winds, and very rough seas.