Page 156 - Bulletin 7 2003

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residents, including Alex Calder, L. S. Sloman, G. van Blerk, John Cooper, and
others. The Health and Building Regulation Committee, under Councillors Drake

and Dempers, was requested by the P. W. D., through the Town Clerk, to inspect
alternative sites. Sites alongside the Municipal wash-house, behind the Pump-

Station, at the Police Station Muizenberg, and finally between St. James

Aquarium and the sea, were inspected but found to be unsatisfactory.

In the meantime, unbeknown to the Council, the District Engineer of the P. W. D.
had given the go-ahead, and had built a mortuary alongside the police station.

This caused outrage within Council, especially as the P. W. D. now wanted a
connection to the municipal sewer. Council was livid and called an immediate

meeting with the District Engineer of the P. W. D., Councillors Drake and

Dempster, the Medical Officer of Health, and the Assistant Municipal Engineer.
Council asked why they were not consulted as the mortuary was too close to a

residential area and no plans had been submitted. The P. W. D. replied that

Government did not recognize any obligation to submit plans for any state
building to a Municipal authority. They, however, apologized and asked Council

to make representation for demolition, if an alternative site could be found.
Council could offer no such site so the mortuary remained where it was, with

Council, somewhat reluctantly, connecting it to the municipal sewer.

The P. W. D. had used the survey of Mr. T. de Villiers, who had originally

surveyed the ground in the “fowl run dispute”. The availability of these plans
speeded up the process and caught the Council off-guard. The ground to the

south side of the station, on what was previously unalienated Crown Land, was
utilised. Here they built the wood and iron mortuary. The size was 16 ft. square x

16 ft. high with three large windows 5 ft. x 2 ft. 6 inches. Concrete floors were
laid to a central gulley which discharged into the municipal sewer.