Of course, there will be regulations for exhumation in Gauteng as for anywhere. You can’t just remove a body from a grave and put it somewhere else. However, sometimes this becomes necessary when bodies are buried in a farm graveyard for instance, and now the people are moving.
Regulations for Exhumation in Gauteng – Other Reasons for Exhumation
- Sometimes a cemetery has to make way for a new development or new roads and then the authorities must transfer the bodies to another cemetery.
- The court has ordered it for further forensic examination.
Regulations for Exhumation in Gauteng – Adhere Strictly to Health Regulations
Exhumations are not your regular activity. They are expensive, and there are regulations around them. Health issues surround an exhumation, and a health officer will need to supervise the event. After all, all sorts of things can go wrong. Maybe the gravediggers open the wrong grave. The appointed officer can’t allow the exhumation to go ahead if the applicants do not meet the conditions and regulations.
Also, the applicant wanting to exhume a person buried in consecrated ground needs to get a licence to go ahead. With an exhumation, the nameplate on the casket has to be checked to make sure it corresponds with the name on the permit.
Your local authority issues exhumation licences, and you have to pay a fee, provide a copy of the death certificate, the completed application form and a completed form of consent from the management of the particular cemetery.
Regulations for Exhumation in Gauteng- Health Officer Requirements
- Ensure that all workers adhere to health and safety rules. They will have to wear protective clothing such as masks and gloves and have all the appropriate equipment to dig open the grave.
- Ensure that the exhumation starts at a time when there is maximum privacy.
- The health officer must approve the new casket and the human remains must be placed carefully in the new casket.
- Properly seal the new container.
- Control all possibilities of infection, and satisfactory arrangements must be in place for the transfer of the remains.
The Gauteng Provincial Government can exhume a body on request from the family. The court can also authorise an exhumation if there are any suspicions around the death of someone. Set aside several days to tackle all the administration before an exhumation. A member of the South African police has to present at the time of the exhumation.
If for instance, the exhumation of a pauper took place in Gauteng, the grave will remain the property of the council. With typical burials, the grave will remain the property of the family member.
Procedure for an Exhumation in Gauteng
- Get permission from the office of the Minister of Development and Planning, Gauteng Provincial Government.
- Obtain permission must from the Provincial Department of Health, Gauteng.
- Get permission from the Medical Officer of Health.
Exhumations aren’t common. It is only in a few circumstances that exhumation occurs. At all times the process has to be in keeping with regulations and with regard and respect for the deceased person and their family. Officials must supervise the exhumation to ensure privacy and to also protect public health.
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