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AIDS deaths create cemetery congestion

    JOHANNESBURG

    The escalating number of AIDS-related deaths in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa's worst-hit province, has created a severe shortage of burial space.

    Officials noted that there were vacant plots in only two of the 22 cemeteries in the port city of Durban to accommodate burials over the next decade.

    KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Zweli Mkhize urged traditional leaders to encourage alternatives to burial, reported a local newspaper, Business Day.

    However, cremation is unpopular among Africans, who believe in maintaining spiritual links with their ancestors, and is also considered unacceptable by Muslims.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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