Ethical and legal aspects to death: the burial

As a form of ritualized behaviour, the burial promotes and maintains the emotional well-being of the individual and the social cohesion of the group. Sources of burial law in Southern Africa are summarized and the present legal situation with regard to burial is given in some detail. Fulton sums up the essence of our subject historically and comparatively as follows: 'Burial of the dead is an ancient practice among men. From paleolithic times to the present, man has responded to the death of his fellow man with solemnity and ceremony. The event of death has evoked not only a religious awe in men, but its threat to the survival of communal life has also engendered fear, just as its disruption of family life has aroused sorrow.'