Emfuleni Municipality defends R12m grave digging costs

UNDER fire yet again for questionable spending, the Emfuleni Local Municipality (EML) has denied claims that it blew almost R12 million on hiring private grave diggers while its own cemetery staff sat idle.

- MASABATA MKWANANZI

The municipality says the figure, cited in a parliamentary inquiry, has been "misrepresented," insisting that the matter has been "overstated for political gain".

This comes after Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Jacob Mamabolo, revealed the information in a written reply to a question tabled by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

Mamabolo revealed that over the last five financial years, the EML appointed four private companies between 2022 and 2025 to assist with grave digging. He outlined the cost ranges as follows: a standard adult grave R693, an 8-foot adult grave R693, an adult grave with a casket R693, reopening a standard grave R693, reopening a casket grave R575, and a child grave R462.

He added that EML spent a total of R11 257 043.13 on service providers over the period, with the highest-paid contractor receiving R3 303 194.45.

Kingsol Chabalala, DA Emfuleni North Constituency Head, criticised the spending, saying that outsourcing routine tasks like grave digging is unjustifiable. He argued that such basic duties require no specialised skills and should be handled by municipal employees.