10 NAMIB TIMES
20 MAY 2016
Swakopmund home to Namibia’s next crematorium Erwin Leuschner
The decision was taken by council at its last meeting after an application was received from Prinsloo Loubser Architects on behalf of the K & L Trust. The crematorium in Windhoek is currently the only crematorium in Namibia. The facility is more than 40 years old and Namibia's growing population inevitably increases the demand for cremation services. The Windhoek crematorium, situated at the Gammams
Cemetery is plagued by breakdowns, resulting in the closest cremation facility at the disposal of Namibians the Upington crematorium (South Africa), according to Prinsloo Loubser Architects in the application. The City of Windhoek in 2015 earmarked N$15 million for the upgrade of the current crematorium and prospects to expand the facility. Besides a new crematorium, the developer wishes to construct a new small chapel and
sufficient parking close to a new cemetery planned in Swakopmund. In the application dating from September 2015, Prinsloo Loubser Architects states that the basic planning for the development has already been completed. “The incinerators used within the crematorium will be smoke free and will pose no health hazard to any adjoining properties,” it states in the application. Furthermore, the
developer ensures that the facility will make use of state of the art equipment. “The design is done in such a way that the general public would not be aware of the crematorium,” it states. At the recent Town Council meeting the application was approved as “it should be regarded as an exceptional application by public initiative which will supplement Council's duty in provision of cemeteries. Furthermore a crema-
Photo by Erwin Leuschner
The Swakopmund Town Council has in principle made a 4000 square metre piece of land available for the construction of Namibia's second crematorium, to ease the huge demand on the ageing crematorium of the City of Windhoek.
Swakopmund running out of burial space - need for a new cemetery Swakopmund is running out of burial space at its graveyards, as well the Swakopmund Memorial Park Cemetery, which is the oldest in town. Town Council is planning a new cemetery and in principle approved to make a piece of land available adjacent for the construction of Namibia's second crematorium.
torium is undoubtedly an asset for any town.” Council decided to make the required land available (in principle) and will sell it once the creation and finalisation of a plot for a new cemetery has been concluded. Once a suitable piece of land has been identified, the matter
will be re-submitted for council to determine a purchase price. The fact that Swakopmund is running out of burial space was also stressed by Wilfried Groenewald, Councillor of the Swakopmund Residents Association (SRA). During the AGM of the organisation held
this week in Swakopmund, Groenewald said that the cemeteries are full and that a site for a new cemetery has not been decided on yet. “The development of a new crematorium is good news and it will be housed next to the new graveyard,” he said.