GQEBERHA – The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has identified 175 hectares of land below the airport for a new cemetery facility, as burial space across the metro runs critically low.

At Malabar Cemetery, with a total capacity of 7,906 plots, of which 7,886 are already occupied, only 20 burial plots remain.

Residents in the area are now being directed to alternative sites, including Bloemendal, Bethelsdorp, Kabah and Forest Hill cemeteries.

Ward 10 councillor, Lenny Moodley, said the crisis has been years in the making.

“I have been fighting for the extension of the Malabar graveyard for many years. The municipality kept delaying the process,” he shared with the PE Express.

“Our residents cannot wait any longer. We need to bury our loved ones with dignity. This is a religious and constitutional right.”

Moodley said recent engagements indicate movement, but only after sustained pressure.

“After pushing and pushing, they said they will include the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) assessment fees in the adjustment budget,” he said.

“I am hoping that once the EIA report is completed, pegging of the new extension site will begin immediately.”

Municipal spokesperson, Sithembiso Soyaya, confirmed the scale of the problem.

“Malabar Cemetery has a total burial capacity of 7,906 plots, of which 7,886 are already occupied according to the burial register,” he explained.

This effectively places the cemetery at full capacity, with the remaining space expected to be exhausted imminently.

“This leaves approximately 20 plots currently available,” Soyaya shared. “Given the limited number of remaining plots, the cemetery is at full capacity and can no longer sustainably accommodate future burial demand.”

Despite this, an R850,000 allocation made in the 2023/2024 financial year for the cemetery’s extension was not used.

“No funds were spent. No physical work has been undertaken,” Soyaya confirmed.

The project’s September 2023 completion deadline was missed.

The delay, he said, is due to the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), a legal requirement before any expansion.

“The required studies were not budgeted for under Operating Expenditure in the 2023/2024 financial year,” he said.

Provision has now been made in the 2025/2026 adjustment budget to undertake the EIA. An informal tender has been submitted to appoint consultants.

“The Ward Councillor has been formally informed of the current status of the Malabar Cemetery extension project, including the requirement to first complete the Environmental Impact Assessment process.”

Soyaya said the municipality is also looking beyond Malabar to address long-term demand.

“In addition, the Municipality has identified approximately 175 hectares of land for the development of a new cemetery facility below the airport,” he said.

Soyaya added that the site forms part of the metro’s long-term planning to address ongoing burial capacity challenges.

ALSO READ: NMB cemeteries almost full