MEDIA INVITATION

13 SEPTEMBER 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TO: ALL MEDIA

2nd Pan African Cemeteries & Crematoria Conference 2019 to Shine the Spotlight on the Shortage of Burial Spaces.

SHORTAGE of burial space in cities globally to come under spotlight at the 2nd Pan African Cemeteries and Crematoria Conference that will be hosted by the South African Cemeteries Association (SACA) in partnership with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and eThekwini Municipality at the Inkosi Albert International Convention Centre from Monday, 16 September to Wednesday 18 September 2019.

One such City is Durban with 65 cemeteries which contains 550 000 graves and each grave site holds an average of three bodies which amounts to 1.4 million graves. Majority of cemeteries in Durban are filled to capacity with less than 5000 unused grave remaining.

Newly appointed Deputy Mayor, Cllr Belinda Scott will officially open the conference on the 16th that is expected to set the tone for industry decision and policy makers, academia, researchers, investor, relevant stakeholders and business alliances to recognise the mutual interests and raise core issues facing the provision of cemetery and crematorium practice throughout Africa.

Taking place under the theme “Creating an African Legacy” the event will build on the success of 2017’s inaugural conference.

The three-day conference will hear from professionals in the cemeteries and crematoria sector, academia and government officials on innovative trends, international issues and solutions, and a broad range of concepts affecting the industry in this everchanging landscape. Also included is a trade exhibition, and a tour of some of the City’s cemeteries and crematoria together with site visits to places of significance to Durban.

The programme will outline the continuous effort to ensure the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources when making provision for the dead. The keynote address by Dr Julie Rugg from the United Kingdom’s University of York will outline the importance of auditing of burial space besides sharing her vast experience in the UK. Other speakers include but not limited to, experts in the field of interment practice, academia and national and local government officials.

Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the conference and tour as follows:

DATE: Monday, 16- 17 September 2019 (Conference) & 18 September 2019 (Tour)

TIME: 08h00

VENUE: Durban ICC 

To RSVP, please contact Simphiwe Dlamini on 061 433 0110 or simphiwe.dlamini@durban.gov.za or Nisha Sirpal, Tel: 031 332 0679, Cell: 081 497 2383 or Email: admin@sa-cca.org.za 

To download the full programme and profile of speakers here are the links below

Programme: https://bit.ly/2lSntaU

Speaker Profile: https://bit.ly/2ma6iSl

ENDS 

Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Acting Head of Communications Mandla Nsele. For more information contact Municipal Spokesman Msawakhe Mayisela on 060 966 4220 or msawakhe.mayisela@durban.gov.za