Too large to be cremated: Funeral parlours up in arms over 'fat ban'

A KwaZulu-Natal crematorium is being forced to turn away bodies deemed 'too large' to be cremated, it was reported on Tuesday.

According to the Post, this comes after an engineer submitted a report that revealed that 'oversized' bodies were putting a strain on the aging furnace at the Tongaat Crematorium, causing 'large amounts of fat' to leak out during cremation.

The report warns that the 'oversized cadavers' reportedly can cause damage to the refractory brickwork, take time to burn and emit 'large volumes of smoke and harmful gases'. 

Mourners have since been sent to private crematoriums, sparking outrage from local funeral parlour owners who have urged the eThekwini municipality to modernise the oThongathi facility.

eThekwini Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit head Thembinkosi Ngcobo told the Post said he was not aware of the ban. 

The manager of the crematorium declined to comment.