Mooifonten Cemetery: More exhumations as conditions deteriorate
Families are exhuming the bodies of their loved ones due to the poor state of the Mooifontein Cemetery.
The worsening state of Mooifontein Cemetery has led to even more families submitting requests for the exhumation and reburial of their loved ones.
While some families chose to rebury their loved ones in a different section of Mooifontein Cemetery, others have chosen to rebury at other cemeteries altogether.
Last October, a family exhumed their loved one’s body after they were left heartbroken about the grave site’s state.
The tombstone was said to be caving in due to water leaking from a burst pipe in the area.
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The family spoke to Warrant Officer Barbara Ferreira of the Norkem Park Police Station and told her their loved one would be reburied in the Eastern Cape.
Earlier this month, another family exhumed their loved one’s body due to the state of the grave.
Unlike the first family, this family decided to rebury their loved one on the other side of the cemetery where there is no pollution or running water from the burst pipe.
According to DA MPL Refiloe Nt’sekhe, her visit to the cemetery highlighted the deplorable conditions and tall grass between the graves.
This oversight happened after a viral video showed people sleeping on the tombstones.
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Last November, the Kempton Express reported that community members had taken the clean-up of the cemetery into their own hands.
The spokesperson for the Tembisa Community Forum, Xolani Mnisi, said the group decided to do the clean-up campaign because the municipality did nothing about the facility’s state.
After this, the CoE launched a clean-up campaign to encourage public involvement in tackling illegal dumping in public spaces.
The campaign Clean Your Kasi, Manje Namhlanje was launched in January and led by Leshaka Manamela, the then MMC for Environmental Resource and Waste Management (ERWM).
After the campaign launched, the long grass was cut in January, and some waste was removed.
Despite the intensive clean-up campaigns, the cemetery quickly fell into disrepair again.
Nt’sekhe tabled oral questions about the security supposed to protect the cemetery.
According to responses by the Gauteng MEC of COGTA Mzi Khumalo, a security company has been appointed to monitor, guard and access control of this cemetery at R14 947 per guard, while the security company is paid R209 259 monthly.
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She said the Ekurhuleni Department of Environment and Waste Management was responsible for maintaining the cemetery, which they last did in February.
“A lot of money is paid to a security company which has failed in its duties of protecting the cemetery, which is the final resting place of many loved ones of the people of Kempton Park and Tembisa,” said Nt’sekhe.
Additionally, she said the DA raised concerns about the viral video of people sleeping on top of tombstones.
“Clearly, the security company was sleeping on the job,” she said.
Nt’sekhe has called on MEC Khumalo to ensure that the CoE does its job and respects and protects the dignity of loved ones’ final resting places.
The Kempton Express sent an enquiry to the CoE on April 9, requesting comment on April 12. By the time of going to print, we had received no comment.
