Joburg’s solar cemetery proposal — power over the dead

Speaking at the opening of the South African Cemeteries and Crematoria National Conference 2025 in August, Joburg mayor Dada Morero said the debate could no longer be postponed.

“This is wasted land. We could put up solar panels on these cemeteries, which would not disturb the graves or headstones. This will probably cause a lot of heated debates, but it would be done beautifully to retain the dignity and respect [for] the dead. There would be added security, which would also prevent the vandalism and neglect that we currently see,” he told delegates.

The idea, unprecedented in South Africa, taps into the global urgency of a clean energy transition while also addressing a local crisis – land scarcity for burials.

In his opening address, Morero painted a sobering picture of cemeteries across Joburg: overcrowded, vandalised, unsafe and increasingly misused. Illegal dumping, theft of headstones and metal structures, encroachment and even violent crime have turned places of remembrance into places of fear. For some residents, what should be sacred ground has become a refuge for the homeless or a hotspot for criminal activity.

“Every family, every community, every culture, at some point faces the question of how to lay their loved ones to rest,” the mayor said. “The answers we provide must be sustainable, accessible and respectful of tradition. Dignity in death is a right, not a privilege.”

Rapid urbanisation

The challenge is magnified by Joburg’s rapid urbanisation. Dormant cemeteries are reaching full capacity, while demand for new burial plots grows. Yet acquiring fresh land is almost impossible because of the lack of land, competing demands for housing and infrastructure, and financial constraints.

“If land were the only issue, the problem might be solved by cremation, vertical mausoleums, or family grave reuse. But in South Africa, burial is bound tightly to religion, culture and identity,” Morero said.

Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Chinese and African traditional practices each impose rules on how the dead must be laid to rest. For some, cremation is acceptable, even preferable. For others, it is expressly forbidden. Many African traditions demand swift burial with elaborate rituals, leaving little room for shared graves or above-ground structures.

“We will not impose a one-size-fits-all solution,” Morero stressed. “We must work hand in hand with religious leaders and funeral directors to ensure that every innovation respects our community’s traditions.”

Still, he hinted at growing frustration: without cultural shifts, land shortages will soon become unmanageable. “Land alone will not solve our problem,” he warned.

Sacred grounds unsafe, desecrated and neglected

The physical state of Joburg’s cemeteries underscores the urgency. Sacred grounds are increasingly desecrated, unsafe, and neglected. Many have become magnets for opportunistic crime and informal settlements.

“What should be a place of dignity and memory is instead, for some residents, a place of fear and insecurity,” Morero said. “This cannot continue.”

He urged communities to reclaim cemeteries as safe spaces and to respect graves after burial. He encouraged families to consider low-cost options such as reusing family graves — a practice already common in other parts of the world.

One of the city’s greatest challenges is how to deal with indigent and undocumented deaths. Each year, thousands die in poverty, unclaimed, unnamed, or unable to afford a funeral.

For the municipality, this creates both a moral and financial burden: providing dignified burials at scale with limited resources. With housing shortages, water crises and electricity demands competing for funds, cemeteries often fall to the bottom of the list, said Morero.

Morero called on residents to embrace innovation, listing multiple pathways already under discussion:

• Family grave reburials to conserve land.
• Cremation as a low-cost and accessible alternative.
• Mausoleums and multistorey burial facilities to make use of vertical space.
• Green burials that reduce ecological impact.

Solar farms

The most provocative idea was Morero’s call to transform dormant cemeteries into solar farms. He framed the proposal not as a desecration, but as a dual act of respect: protecting cemeteries from decay while addressing Johannesburg’s deepening energy crisis.

“This land is lying idle,” he said. “Solar panels could rise above the graves without disturbing them, creating secure, well-maintained spaces that continue to honour the dead while serving the living.”

Morero also announced that the city had begun the digitisation of cemetery records to improve transparency, planning and heritage preservation.

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), which manages the city’s cemeteries, crematoria, parks and conservation areas, echoed the mayor’s concerns.

Managing director Thanduxolo Mendrew told delegates that the pressures on cemeteries were becoming unbearable. “Our duty is to ensure that when residents bury their loved ones, they do so in places that are safe, dignified and respectful of cultural and spiritual values,” he said. “Yet this responsibility is becoming increasingly difficult.”

Mendrew listed the same catalogue of challenges: land scarcity, desecration, vandalism, crime and the encroachment of displaced persons. “For many families, sacred spaces of remembrance have been reduced to neglected and unsafe environments,” he said.

He stressed that solutions had to go beyond identifying problems. 

Options

JCPZ is already exploring alternative burials and has begun public awareness campaigns to ensure families understand their choices. “Death is universal. It is the ultimate equaliser. Every community deserves the comfort of knowing that their traditions are respected, but we must face the reality that our current practices are under strain,” he said.

Both leaders agreed that the way forward required collaboration. The national government should create supportive policies and funding frameworks. Municipalities should innovate in service delivery. Faith leaders should help communities accept new practices. Industry should pioneer sustainable technologies, and communities should take ownership of protecting and respecting cemeteries.

“Cemeteries are a shared responsibility,” Mendrew said. 

Morero’s appeal was equally emphatic. “No single institution can solve this problem,” he told delegates. “It is only together, across sectors, across disciplines, across communities, that we can build a sustainable future for burial and cremation in South Africa.”

The three-day SA Cemeteries and Crematoria Association conference brought together policymakers, researchers, funeral directors, cemetery managers and cultural leaders. Its goal was to find common ground between tradition and sustainability in managing death, one of the most sacred yet increasingly contested human responsibilities. DM

This article is produced by Our City News, a non-profit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg.