Executive Mayor Mhlonishwa Masilela led a municipal clean-up at the old Mathaileni Cemetery as part of a local Letsema initiative.

On August 21, team members from the physical and environmental development department sprayed herbicides, removed weeds, and cleaned the grounds.

Gravesites often face severe weed growth, vandalism, and security issues, which cause distress to grieving families.

Masilela explained that maintenance teams follow a weekly schedule, using chemical applications and manual grass cutting throughout the season.

He said the Letsema initiative relies entirely on standard operational funds rather than a dedicated budget.

“Letsema loosely means communities coming together for their development. We have identified specific municipal services through which community support is galvanised towards a common goal. It affords members of the public an opportunity to partner with the municipality, which is crucial for sustainability and ownership.”

Vandalism and security challenges

Mobile toilets placed at the gravesite had to be removed after being damaged, and the metal entry gate installed at the Mathaileni site was stolen.

Despite calls from the community for permanent security guards, the municipality stated that around-the-clock security is currently unaffordable, as funding it would force the council to raise burial fees.

Private sector funding requests have so far yielded no results. The council is looking into demolishing or rebuilding damaged structures on the cemetery grounds to improve public safety.

Missing burial records

Masilela added that the council also addressed long-standing issues regarding missing burial records.
“The municipality is responsible for maintaining records of the deceased. Over the years, council has migrated to digitising cemetery data; however, as with Mathaileni Cemetery, data was destroyed when the municipal office was burned down in the 1980s before it could be captured on an electronic system.”

Masilela said the council plans to launch a project using history and local knowledge to restore the missing burial information.

“This process will take a considerable amount of time given the need to ensure the data is correct.”