Parks

Who is responsible for dealing with maintenance of parks, sportsfields, halls and beaches in my suburb?
Please contact your local City Parks district office for any queries relating to parks and playgrounds. All queries relating to sportsfields, hall and beaches should be referred to the Department of Sport and Recreation on 021 400 5190.

How do I get a tree on the sidewalk in front of my house pruned or cut down?
Please contact your local district office to lodge your request. The operator will provide you with a reference number. Your concern will be assessed on site and attended to accordingly by our operational staff.

Where do I report broken play equipment?
Please contact your local district office to lodge your request. The operator will provide you with a reference number and your concern will be assessed and attended to accordingly by our operational staff.

How do I report dumping on public open spaces and overgrown areas that need to be attended to?
Please contact your local district office to lodge your request. The operator will provide you with a reference number and your concern will be assessed and attended to accordingly by our operational staff. The response will vary depending on whether the problem is on public or private land.

How often is the grass in a local park mowed?
City Parks aims to cut the grass every four to six weeks. However frequencies are influenced by seasonal conditions, the appearance of spring flowers and other related factors.

How often are our parks watered?
Please refer to the water strategy.

Whom do I contact should a City Parks employee offer to work for me during business hours?
A City Parks employee is not permitted to do any private work during the working week. Please phone and speak to the Manager at your district office.

How do I report vagrants or suspicious people loitering in a park?
If criminal activity is suspected and/or by-laws broken then they should be reported to the local Metro Police unit. The number is 021 938 8025. Obvious vagrancy with no criminal intent should be reported to the People’s Displacement Unit. The number is 021 900 1755.

Cemeteries

What paperwork will an undertaker require to book a burial or cremation?

• Medical certificate B1663
  
• ID document of the deceased
  
• Address of the deceased
  
  

The undertaker will provide the City Parks Booking Clerk with the burial order.

Must a religious ceremony accompany a burial?
No.

What options are currently available?
There are cremations, monumental graves, berm graves, public graves and crypts in the mausoleum.

What is a mausoleum?
A mausoleum is an above-ground grave containing crypts designed to hold human remains in coffins. Once a coffin is entombed, the crypt is sealed and a front is attached. The same procedure applies for a niche, which accommodates an urn containing cremated remains.

What is a family grave?
These accommodate family members who wish to be laid to rest together. Family graves are private and may be used to house ashes or several coffins. They also save space.

Who do I pay?
Normally the client pays the undertaker and the undertaker pays the cemetery booking office. It is not necessary for money to be paid to cemetery superintendents.

What if I cannot afford to pay?
Provision is made for indigent burials. Contact the City’s cemetery booking office for more information.

Who can I contact for more information on cremations?
You can contact Independent Crematoriums South Africa (ICSA) on +27 (23) 347 0905.

How do I know that I will get the right remains?
All crematoria have a way of uniquely identifying remains and families can rest assured that the correct remains are handed over.

Is it possible to send remains to other parts of the country or overseas?
Yes. Your undertaker will arrange this for you.

What are the legal formalities regarding cremation?
ICSA will arrange for the completion of statutory forms for cremation. If you are the executor, next of kin, or are authorised by either to do so, you must sign the Statutory Application for cremation before a Commissioner of Oaths.

What else do I have to sign?
You must sign an ICSA document confirming your wishes for cremation. It is best to decide how to dispose of the remains quickly but, if you are undecided, ICSA can store the remains for two months.

Is cremation an aid to the concealing of a crime by eliminating evidence?
No. The primary cause of death must be ascertained before permission is given by the Medical referee to cremate.