The Tembisa Parliamentary Constituency Office (PCO) is appealing to families and residents to urgently visit both the Enfihlweni and Mooifontein cemeteries for the purpose of assessing and inspecting the condition of graves and tombstones of their loved ones.
The ANC’s Oupa Nkadimeng branch chairperson, Mr Sello Ali Tleane, said the rain and other factors have caused serious damage to the graves, which require urgent attention.
“Many graves have literally sunk in while some tombstones have either collapsed or are on the verge of collapsing.
“What really saddens us is that many graves have obviously been neglected for too long, so much so that it is not easy to see their numbers. This state of affairs will create major problems for families which may in future wish to erect tombstones,” said Mr Tleane.
Mr Tleane emphasised that while the Ekurhuleni municipality does its bit to cut the grass around the cemeteries, this is clearly not enough on its own.
“We therefore appeal to families not to visit the cemeteries only during burials of loved ones but to make it a habit to frequently visit them for cleaning purposes.
“Those families who for whatever reason cannot recognise graves of their relatives are urged to visit local municipal offices with their grievances for assistance.
“Cemeteries are our final and unavoidable resting place in this world. All of us will definitely end up there. We need to respect and take care of them,” added Mr Tleane.
Mr Tleane said they cannot love their relatives only when they are still alive, but completely forget about them as soon as they pass on and are buried.
“Let us use the Easter holidays to correct our mistakes. However, we must not wait for the Easter holidays to visit graveyards. This is a responsibility we must execute at various intervals throughout the year,” said Mr Tleane.
