Pretoria - Mourners and visitors at Heatherdale Cemetery, north of the capital, are concerned about the parlous state of the facility.
As the festive holidays drew nearer, more people said they wanted to go to the cemetery to visit their loved ones’ graves, but were discouraged by its dire state, which also posed a criminal threat.
They said they were worried about the risk of stumbling on tombstones or falling into graves as a result of waist-high grass.
Shrubs and bushes have grown along the walkways, and old wood and garbage bordered most graves.
Visitors also said they could not see their loved ones’ graves because of the uncut grass and weeds. The surrounding palisade fences have been broken down.
Tinyiko Matjokan went to the cemetery over the past weekend to place flowers for a loved one, but was greeted with what she described as a pitiful sight.
“The appalling condition the City of Tshwane has left our cemeteries shows the continued failure to deliver services to residents.”
She said at some point she even saw snakes on a couple of graves.
She said that the grass was too long to walk around, and the rubbish bins were overflowing. “It is a horrible experience to go to pay your respects and find such a horrible sight.”
Ivan Harris, who also went to visit the grave of a loved one, expressed a similar sentiment.
He said cemeteries were a sacred space for people and served as a source of memories. They were emotional places, and could not be ignored.
“This is where people are laid to rest, and it is unacceptable that they are in this condition.”
Another complaint came from Kgologanyo Manyape, who said she and her mother went to her father’s grave on Reconciliation Day. “We could not even see the grave since it was covered by bushes. Our day was ruined.”
Cemeteries have reportedly attracted criminal activity in the past due to a lack of lighting and long grass.
This comes amid an investigation by the City of Tshwane into multiple wire panels being removed from the fence which enclosed the cemetery along Brits Road.
In the west of the City, residents complained about the terrible condition of the Rebecca Street Cemetery. Grass and tree stumps were on top of tombstones, and criminals have vandalised the fence.
Tombstones have been vandalised and tree branches cut and thrown on top of tombstones.
The City, which is responsible for maintaining cemeteries, had not responded to the complaints at the time of going to press.
Pretoria News