Uproar over plans to develop Cape Town cemetery where 1,600 people are buried

CapeTalk's Clarence Ford interviews Caroline Jamal, a Garlandale resident who wants answers from heritage consultants over the exhumation of bodies from the Garlandale cemetery after being sold by the Anglican church to a developer.

Listen below:

A graveyard in Cape Town is at the centre of a dispute after being sold to a property development firm, sparking anger among some community members.

The site in Garlandale Estate was gifted to the Anglican Church in 1880, but was sold to Asrin Property Developers for R6 million.

The firm has earmarked the land for development and wants to build houses there.

It's applied to rezone the land.

But the Black River Interest Group says there are over 1,600 bodies still buried there and that it is a site of cultural and historical significance.

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"We are opposing the rezoning... a notice board was just put up at the site without any consultation or public participation."

- Caroline Jamal, Black River Interest Group

The Heritage Council of the Western Cape has been engaged to assist, and Jamal says the last meeting at Heritage Western Cape was on 11 June.

In that meeting, she says, it was concluded that due process had not been followed.

"The consultant who dealt with the Heritage Impact Assessment did not do his work properly. He is also supposed to have a consultation with the affected parties... which is the law."

- Caroline Jamal, Black River Interest Group

"There seems to be some procedural irregularities."

- Caroline Jamal, Black River Interest Group

Jamal says, so far, the voices and protests of the community have been ignored. 

"We want to have a broader consultation... It's such a rich and historic site."

- Caroline Jamal, Black River Interest Group

"We have no problem with development, but not at the expense of our heritage."

- Caroline Jamal, Black River Interest Group

What should the future hold for the graveyard and Garlandale Estate? Scroll up to listen to the full conversation from Views and News with Clarence Ford.