NATIONAL NEWS - The state of the city’s cemeteries are preventing residents from paying their respects to their loved ones whose remains lie there.
“You cannot go there”, are the strong words of caution from many Pietermaritzburg residents who, due to the appalling state and lack of security at the cemeteries, have stopped visiting the resting places of their loved ones.
On a recent visit to some of the city’s cemeteries, The Witness found the sites in a deplorable state with overgrown grass, broken tombstones, overflowing dustbins, destroyed guardhouses, broken fencing, torn down palisade fencing, trees that have fallen over, potholed roads and non-functioning crematoriums.
Along with the poor state of the cemetery, a viral image of employees sleeping and sitting on the graves that circulated earlier this week left residents horrified at the lack of respect shown to their loved ones who are buried there.
Mountain Rise Cemetery
At Mountain Rise Cemetery it was found that the site has also become a thoroughfare for vehicles and commuters, leaving those who visit their loved ones susceptible to becoming victims of crime.
One resident, Pragasen Pillay, said it is a shame that the cemetery has been left in a heartbreaking state.
It’s hard to even find the graves of loved ones at the cemetery.
Another resident, Sarika Burath, was also concerned that she loved one’s grave would be difficult to find due to the state of the cemetery.
Everything is dilapidated. There is no respect for our loved ones. It is like the municipality just does not care for their dignity.
Lynette Peters said she is afraid of visiting the cemetery due to the crimes that occur there.
My mother is buried there but I have not been there in years because of the state the cemetery is in.
We feel hurt by the state it has been left to deteriorate into.
Msunduzi Crematorium and Cemeteries Concerned Citizens Committee
Advocate Ranjiv Nirghin of the Msunduzi Crematorium and Cemeteries Concerned Citizens Committee (MCCCCC) said that it would be in the public interest to have the grass cut more frequently and the internal roads repaired so that graves can be easily accessed by families.
Currently, there is one functioning crematorium at Mountain Rise.
There have been some days when the crematorium has been unavailable due to the lack of gas.
A three-year gas supply tender is in the process of being finalised and should ensure that there is always sufficient gas to have the crematorium available on a daily basis before the end of February 2023.
Another concern is the shortage and overcrowding of grave sites in Willowfountain, Azalea and Snathing.
Residents have raised concerns that they will soon be prevented from burying their loved ones.
They fear that soon cremation will be the only option. The dilemma is that cremation is not compatible with many residents’ cultural beliefs in these areas.
Residents concerns
Residents have also raised concerns over the increase in the loss of grave numbers, which poses a serious problem for affected families.
Ntombikayise Ndlovu, a 43-year-old resident in Willowfountain told The Witness that both her parents are buried in Willowfontein graveyard, but she cannot find their graves due to overcrowding.
I wish that I knew better because I would have buried them at home. Each day, I suffer from regret. The municipality does not show any sympathy for my situation.
Msunduzi spokesperson
Msunduzi spokesperson, Ntobeko Mkhize, apologised to the communities for the inconveniences caused by the challenges at the cemeteries.
On the state of Mountain Rise Cemetery, Mkhize said there are only two functioning crematoriums, due to damage caused by last year’s heavy rains.
We have also developed a plan to attend to all the issues raised by the residents. We are currently waiting for the equipment such as heavy grass cutters and are in the process of concluding the supply chain management process to have crematorium B serviced.
She added that the road to the cemetery and guardhouses will be rehabilitated and gates and fencing will be repaired soon.
With regards to the Snathing cemetery, Mkhize said it has been in existence since the 1950s, but the running of the cemetery was only handed over to Msunduzi Municipality in 1999, without any records of the graves that already existing.
In line with the municipality’s vision 2040 of a smart city, we have an electronic record-keeping system, which has been introduced to store burial information. The system will give easy access to burial records and aims to improve our service delivery. We appeal to families of Snathing to work with us to help track the records of the 1950s to 1998, which is before the cemetery was handed to the municipality.
Mkhize added that the grave numbers of Azalea cemetery are made available upon the request of family members.
The Willowfontein Cemetery, she said, was not under the municipality’s administration; however, there is a cooperation between the municipality and the community of Willowfontein regarding the digging of burial pits.
