The Moslem Cemetery Board has confirmed that plans to develop a dedicated Muslim mortuary at Mowbray Cemetery have officially been approved.
This follows the City of Cape Town’s recent approval of the building plans, which would mark a significant step toward improving burial services for the Muslim community.
Speaking on VOC Breakfast, Moslem Cemetery Board Chairperson Faizal Sayed stated:
“Plans for this development have been in the works for a long time. While the state mortuary does its best to prioritize Muslim bodies—especially those requiring post-mortems or coming from accident scenes—we still face challenges at times, despite the MJC’s engagement with state pathology.”
Sayed stressed the importance of creating a dignified space that understands the religious intricacies of Islamic burials:
“We want to offer a facility that respects the needs of the Muslim community and provides a dignified space for the storage and preparation of bodies in line with Islamic burial rites.”
The new facility will streamline the burial process by integrating key services.
“This will create an all-encompassing space where the deceased body will arrive, be placed in refrigeration if needed, move to the ghusl (washing) area when required, and then proceed directly to burial,’ Sayed added.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: VOCfm
