- Funeral attendees at Welmoed Cemetery experienced severe traffic congestion, causing significant delays and frustration.
- Samantha Jacobs described the chaotic situation, with attendees waiting hours to enter and exit due to the single access point and inadequate traffic management.
- The City’s Recreation and Parks Department is aware of the issue and is working on a Traffic Impact Assessment to improve the situation.
After attending funerals at Welmoed Cemetery some people vowed never to return there after traffic chaos caused them to spend hours trying to get in or out.
Samantha Jacobs, one of the funeral goers says she attended many funerals there over the years, but last Saturday was the worse. “This past weekend was a hellish experience. Not only did we wait more than an hour to get into the cemetery. It also meant we almost missed the complete graveside service. Had it not been for the family stuck in the same traffic, we would surely have missed this. Which would have been a shame, on top of the excessive waste of fuel. With 11 funerals on at the same time (from the gazebos counted at the cemetery), a bit of traffic is to be understood, but surely there must be something that can assist with the traffic flow,” says Jacobs.
Jacobs gave acknowledgement to the traffic officers who allowed for some flow of traffic into the cemetery from the R102, but she says the congestion caused by the single entry and exit to the cemetery is “ridiculous”.
“Parking on the furthest end of the cemetery meant we were again blocked on exit. After two hours of delays already, we were forced to wait another two hours to exit. Buses unable to turn out from the parking areas, taxis and cars parking along the road instead of the parking lots and no one willing to give the other a show caused absolute chaos.
“It was such a terrible experience that several people attending this funeral vowed to never attend another if it were held here,” says Jacobs.
Hours later
She says their whole ordeal started at 09:00 and the family could only get together again at three.
“Thousands of people trying to leave, no one moving at all for several minutes, and no assistance in trying to resolve the absolute mess. So much time wasted dealing with chaos. Something seriously needs to be done about the unnecessary congestion,” she says.
According to Jan Kruger, spokesperson for the City’s Recreation and Parks Department, they are aware of the matter and has appointed a consultant to provide a Traffic Impact Assessment to look at feasible options to make the entry and exit to the Welmoed Cemetery easier. “The demand for burial on Saturdays at Welmoed is high and one point of entry and exit is extremely challenging – hence the need for traffic pointsmen to be on duty on Saturdays.
“Although the City is providing incentives to promote weekday burials, Saturdays remain the preferred day for burials,” says Kruger.
