The relatives of renowned author and first ANC Secretary General, Sol Plaatje, say they are concerned about the grave of the icon being vandalised yet again.
It’s the third time the grave has been damaged in the last few decades.
Plaatje was buried at Kimberley’s West End Cemetery in 1932.
Family members found the grave in a bad condition. Plaatjie’s great-grandson, Daniel Plaatjie, says the family is still shocked. He says police need to investigate and ask those who know what happened to come forward.
The Northern Cape Department of Arts and Culture has promised to investigate and to safeguard Plaatje’s final resting place.
In January 2020, Plaatjie’s family said they were relieved that the cage erected around his grave had been removed.
They said the erection of such a cage was an insult not only to the family but to Sol Plaatje himself.
“As a family, this cage actually made us feel as if we were also in a cage, so you can imagine when this thing has been removed Sol Plaatje himself can feel free. We do not need a cage for people to come and honour Sol Plaatje, this has not been one of the most pleasant festive seasons for us.
We have been pleading with the authorities requesting them that please respect our rights and to remove this thing. You cannot cage Sol Plaatjie, you cannot cage any person in the grave you can only put a prisoner behind a locked cage,” said one of Plaatjie’s descendants, Richard Plaatjie.
Grave of struggle icon Sol Plaatje vandalised again:
