Zuurfontein Cemetery’s left in derelict state

Atlegang Makgoba

Lorraine Porter, who has her father’s remains placed at Zuurfontein Cemetery for nearly nine years, was shocked to find the facility in a derelict state.
She expressed her disappointment in the conditions of the cemetery when she visited on January 1, as the beauty of it was one of the reasons she decided to place her loved one's remains there.
“The flower beds were well kept, the grass well cut and maintained and no weeds were growing in the pavements and over the tar roads,” said Porter.
Porter also mentioned to Express how she was sent from pillar to post for over four weeks in trying to find out what was going with maintenance but to no avail.
In a meeting with Express between Porter and cemetery administrator of Zuurfontein Cemetery, Mhlophekazi Neluvhola, it was admitted that grass had not been cut for a while.
“Grass cutting at Zuurfontein Cemetery commenced on February 26 and was completed on March 2,” said Neluvhola.
According to the superintendent, there are only three workers tasked with maintaining the conditions at Zuurfontein and Bredell cemeteries.
Porter also alleged that an Ekurhuleni resident had to remove her loved one’s memorial plaque at the cemetery due to the condition it was in.
According to Ward 104 Clr Tracey Lourenco, many of the city's parks and cemeteries were neglected under the previous administration.
“The multi-party coalition government passed the adjustment budget at the end of February, which will see a back-to-basics approach to service delivery,” said Lourenco.
“We inherited massive service delivery backlogs across the city and in various other departments.
“The coalition is working tirelessly to address these backlogs as regular grass-cutting and maintenance should be done in line with the service level standards. The programme of de-weeding and pruning of trees is being looked into and as the ward councillor, I will continue to monitor the situation.”
During a visit to Zuurfontein Cemetery, Express also noticed dilapidating gravestones with some of the trees' roots lifting the tombstones.
There were maintenance workers on duty, which was a sight Porter didn't witness in her previous visits to the cemetery.