Alexandra residents recently shut down the township over service delivery backlogs; now the graves and tombstones in the area are disappearing and when families visit, they’re subjected to an unbearable stench.
From a distance, it looks normal, but step closer and an overpowering stench consumes you. It’s a final resting place, but the dead here are not at peace. They’re drenched in raw sewerage and the graves are sinking. For the families, their dignity and respect has been violated. They’ve been made to mourn again.
“What’s this that we are seeing at the cemetery? We were raised to believe that graveyards must be respected, but what’s happening here makes me feel sad.”
Trees have fallen on the graves causing additional damage.
Community leaders are also up in arms. They say their pleas for help have been ignored.
“We are not politicians; we are just people who want service delivery.”
Authorities can’t agree on who should fix the problem. Reggie Moloi from Parks cemetery says they will visit the cemetery to see what measures can be put in place to address the problem.
“On Friday, we will be going there to see what measures will be put into place for the long term. Like I am saying, Jo’burg water will come and fix and three weeks later, they’re back not because they didn’t do the right thing; it’s just the nature of sewerage, it’s like that. But we need to redirect the water away from the graves.”
