Thembisa community cleans up Mooifontein Cemetery
The Tembisa Community Forum held a clean-up campaign of Mooifontein cemetery. Their mission was to bring back dignity to the cemetery as many of their loved ones have been laid to rest there.
The state of the Mooifontein Cemetery prompted the Tembisa Community Forum to take action this weekend.
The community of Thembisa rolled up their sleeves on November 19 and cleaned the cemetery.
Their mission was to bring dignity back to the final resting place of their loved ones.
Over the last few months, the Mooifontein Cemetery has fallen into a dire state of disrepair. Rampant illegal dumping and burst water lines have made large sections of the cemetery unsightly.
ALSO READ: CPF and community members clean up streets of Kempton Park
The water from the burst water pipe runs through the cemetery destroying graves and creating puddles on the driveway, making it difficult for cars to use it.
Some community members and families, who have buried their loved ones at the cemetery, have put the blame of the dumping of rubbish at the cemetery on people who live close it.
A visitor who spoke to the Kempton Express, on condition of anonymity, said that the community of Vusimuzi receives refuse removal services from the municipality so there’s no valid reason for them to dump their rubbish on top of graves.
“They even removed parts of the fence so they can have easy access to cemetery and dump their rubbish,” said the man.
ALSO READ: Birchleigh residents invited to join community clean up
Warrant Officer Barbara Ferreira said the cemetery has turned into a dumping site.
“We have now done three exhumations for reburials,” she said.
Ferreira added that some families rebury their loved ones at different cemeteries and some choose to rebury at the same cemetery, but on a different side of the cemetery where there is no dumping or water leaking into graves.
“Some families who have buried their loved ones at the cemetery have decided to exhume them and rebury them elsewhere, often in other provinces.”
Tembisa Community Forum spokesperson Xolani Mnisi said that they decided to hold the clean-up campaign because the municipality was not doing anything about it.
“The municipality really doesn’t assist us with anything except for black refuse bags to put the collected waste in. We did tell CoE officials that they would still need to send their refuse trucks to pick up the bags.”
Mnisi confirmed that there was an exchange of words between Thembisa community members and residents of neighbouring Vusumuzi.
ALSO READ: Parolees and probationers clean up Thembisa
“There was a bit of altercation but it was just Thembisa community members expressing their frustrations. We shared our thoughts with them regarding the dumping,” he said.
He added that a community imbizo will be held and it will include the community of Thembisa, the municipality, faith based entities, traditional leaders and the community of Vusimuzi.
Mnisi said they hope to find a solution to the dumping.
“Ubuntu needs to be practised and dignity be brought back to the cemetery. The community of Vusimuzi needs to start respecting us as a community. They don’t need to dump their waste at a cemetery.
“They need to stop doing that because it is disrespectful to us and our loved ones that we have laid to rest.”
Miss Tembisa finalist 2023 Mapula Ramahuma was also present at the clean-up.
“This clean-up is important because it brings back dignity to the cemetery as no one would want to visit a loved one’s grave if there is rubbish dumped on it,” she said.
Ramahuma added that the culprits of illegal dumping at the cemetery need to remember that the people who are buried there still need to be respected.
