Johannesburg City Parks Regulations for Disposing of a Body.

A person may not just dispose of a body as and when they see fit. So each municipality has strict regulations and by-laws concerning the cremation and burial of bodies. Read more here on Johannesburg disposing of a body.

Burials

The Johannesburg City Parks is responsible for the upkeep Johannesburg disposing of a body of the 35 cemeteries in the greater Johannesburg area.

Only one body may be in a coffin for the burial.
Under certain conditions, the officer-in-charge may approve more than one.
A body must be in a body-bag before put in the coffin.
If there is to be more than one body in the coffin, each body must be in its own body-bag.

The standard size of a grave is:

2.3 metres long x 900mm wide, and 2.0 metres deep, for an adult
1.5 metres long x 700mm wide, and 1.5 metres deep, for a child
Coffins must consist of natural wood or any other perishable material.

Cremations

There are three crematoria in Johannesburg – Braamfontein, Brixton, and Lenasia. They use gas heat to cremate the remains. So a recognised funeral director must handle the legal documents necessary for a cremation to take place.

Only a medical referee can give permission for a cremation.
The main cause of death must be said beyond doubt.
The deceased must not have been against cremation.
This is all confirmed by a medical doctor on the Application for Cremation forms.
Remove medical implants like pacemakers first, as they can put staff and equipment in danger if they explode at the high temperatures needed during cremation.
Only one adult cremation may be done at a time.
All remains from the cremation must be away before the cremator is in use again.
Each crematorium has their way of identifying the cremation remains. The family can be sure that they will receive the correct ashes.
The funeral director will also ask the family how they would like to receive the cremains.
Coffins for cremation must consist mainly of timber or wood derivatives.

Exhumation

Exhumation is the removal of human remains from a grave. There are four reasons to take into mind before permission is given for this:

and ascertain cause of death
for ascertain the identity of the deceased
to transfer remains to another burial place
to remove remains for cremation
A police officer needs to be present at the exhumation. The application needs to be made seven working days before exhumation.

Permission must be from:

The office of the Minister of Development and Planning
Gauteng Provincial Department of Health
Minister of Health of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council with a certified copy of the death certificate of the deceased.

Johannesburg disposing of a body

For all the information on Johannesburg disposing of a body, look no further than Johannesburg City Parks. Who will be able to explain all the rules, regulations, and by-laws regarding any burial or cremation.

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All info was correct at time of publishing