Heritage Cases

The Mandeni Local Municipality has initiated the Environmental Impact Assessment process for the development of a Cemetery in the Padianagar area whereby the site was identified, and relevant studies were undertaken. The Project Initiation phase has been completed and the pre-application meeting with Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) was held. The following documentation was sent to EDTEA: Draft Application forms, Background Information Document (BID), Site Layout and the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environmental Affairs (DFFEA) Screening Tool. The Mandeni Municipality has appointed K2M Environmental Pty Ltd as their service provider to assist the Municipality in the undertaking of the EIA and Water Use License Application Processes including the relevant specialist studies. The required Environmental Authorisation and Water Use License will assist the Municipality in the Cemetery Development within the Padianagar area. The Proposed Cemetery Development Area (Lot 1490 Padianagar) is located in Ward 4 of the Mandeni Local Municipality in the iLembe District Municipality and measures at approximately 15.4 hectares in extent. The project area is traversed by a perennial watercourse along its southern and eastern borders and contains CBA: Irreplaceable Areas. Furthermore, a non-perennial watercourse occurs approximately 60m west of the project area and the Thukela River, which is also classified as a NFEPA Wetland, occurs approximately 400m north of the site. The proposed development will entail the establishment of a cemetery together with associated building structures and ablution facilities. The need and desirability for the Mandeni cemetery are evident in the Mandeni Local Municipality IDP (2022/23) where the need for the provision of Cemetery in Mandeni has been identified. The implementation of the cemetery will make available the land for burial and establish a cemetery for Mandeni communities as the Municipality currently does not have a cemetery in its area. The Community of Mandeni is currently utilizing areas under the ownership of the Ingonyama Trust for burial services. During 2020/2021 the Mandeni Municipality appointed a service provider to assist the Municipality with preparing all studies required for a Cemetery development. Therefore, the proposed Mandeni Cemetery is part of the process of identifying the best suitable site for a cemetery that is initiated by the municipality. The proposed Mandeni cemetery site has been established as the most suitable site for development within the municipality as the area is currently vacant and has existing graves that have been located onsite. The proposed cemetery will address the need for disposing of the deceased in a dignified manner and will help alleviate the current burial constraints within the municipality. Furthermore, mortality rates in the municipality were very high during COVID-19 pandemic which increase the burial constraints, mortality rates, and therefore there is an urgent need for the establishment of a cemetery within the municipality. The proposed preferred site will allow the municipality to accommodate for burial space as the site is large in extent. To establish a formalized cemetery, there are several requirements which must be considered. These requirements include the biophysical environments which may potentially be impacted as well as the social environment.