CAPE TOWN – The future and possible expansion of the Klip Road Cemetery in Grassy Park may require additional studies the City of Cape Town has confirmed.
The public participation process (PPP) for the Klip Road Cemetery expansion closed on Monday 15 December, with the City’s recreation and parks department confirming that no approval has yet been granted for the development.
Community comments from the process will now be collated and responded to by consultants before submission to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Planning Development (DEA&DP) for final approval.
The timeline for submission is anticipated to be March but is subject to the comments received, which may require additional studies.
The City says it will only be able to determine a way forward once the above process has concluded.
Critical burial space shortage
The proposed five-hectare extension along Klip and Victoria roads and Prince George Drive in Grassy Park comes as the City faces an acute shortage of burial space across its 40 cemeteries.
Siraaj Slamang, Head of Cemetery Planning and Transaction at the City, revealed the stark reality at a community meeting on Thursday 11 December last year (“Meeting to discuss GP cemetery”, People’s Post, 16 December 2025).
“We’ve got 40 cemeteries in the City of Cape Town, most of which are completely full. The ones that are actually taking new burials are Klip Road and Welmoed in Eerste River, and Atlantis,” Slamang said at the time.
Currently, Klip Road Cemetery handles approximately 60 to 70 burials weekly, mostly on Saturdays, creating significant congestion in the area, Slamang added.
Community concerns raised
Around 20 residents attended the meeting on Thursday 11 December at Isaac Jacobs Hall, facilitated by Ward 65 councillor Donovan Nelson and Slamang, to voice concerns about the expansion’s impact on Grassy Park and surrounding areas including Lotus River, Parkwood, Ottery, Lavender Hill, Steenberg, and Retreat.
The Gilray site has been excluded as part of the expansion due to a high water table.
Residents raised several pressing issues during the consultation process.
Traffic congestion on Klip Road, particularly on Saturdays when multiple funerals coincide with shopping activities, topped the list of concerns.
People’s Post spoke with member of the Gilray Save Committee (GSC), Terence Klassen, who expressed some grievances regarding the latest developments.
“My concern was for the underground water contamination. Already there is a high cyanide and fat content in the underground water as was measured in 2008 as a result of the decaying bodies in the existing cemetery.
This situation will worsen with the extension of the cemetery, especially now that many more people are having their own vegetable gardens. We will probably only see the impact on people’s health much later and it will then be connected to the contaminated water,” he said.
He says the City needs to have the underground water tested by a totally independent assessor so that the results reported will be believable.
“We need the law enforcement, traffic control officers here to speak on the sequencing/control of the number of funerals per day/Saturday/the impact on the water quality etc, these role-players were not available to answer pertinent questions raised at the meeting.
The recommendation from the community was that these officials must be present to answer specific questions,” he added.
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