Durban crematorium turns away 'overweight' corpses
Durban residents are up in arms after the Tongaat Crematorium said some of the deceased were "too fat" to be cremated.
Families looking to carry out their deceased loved ones' wishes are outraged at the actions of the Tongaat Crematorium.
The Post reports that the crematorium has turned away "oversize bodies", citing problems with infrastructure.
Engineer Mike Robins compiled a report on the facility's capabilities, and in his report stated: "Due to the age of the crematory, the fat-burning capability of this unit is no longer effective". The engineer suggested that overweight bodies have too much fat in them and it "leaks out" during cremation.
The report also suggested that since bigger bodies take longer to burn, they put a large amount of strain on the furnace, which is already very old.
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Stakeholders are at their wits' end. Tongaat Funeral Services staffer Rajesh Ramkaran says they are having to redirect families who come to them for burial services: "Mourners are coming to us and we have to tell them that their cremations have to be done in Verulam or Clare Estate because the deceased is too big to be cremated in Tongaat. Some people understand while others feel offended."
Durban residents are not satisfied with the engineer's reports and are demanding that the crematorium take responsibility.