Residents encouraged to visit Waterfall Cemetery to help identify sinking graves
The recent rains have caused some graves at Waterfall Cemetery to sink.
When the Waterfall Cemetery in Midrand opened in 2006, it was the first new burial ground opened in Johannesburg for nearly a quarter of a century.
The 200-hectare cemetery has space for 720 000 burials and according to Joburg City Parks and Zoo, the custodian of the cemetery, it should provide burial space for about 50 years.
The recent rains have caused some graves at the cemetery to sink, prompting resident Debbie Hadebe to urge residents to visit their loved ones’ graves.
“When I visited the waterfall cemetery on November 15 to pay my respects for my late husband, I saw how the rain had caused some damage to the graves so I decided to inform the public on social media so they can contact the government for assistance,” said Hadebe.
The MMC for Community Development Ronald Harris noted that the rainy season was upon us and graves, especially the newly dug ones, may be at risk of subsiding.
“The soil does not contain stones to make it easier for digging, however, during heavy rains, the soil covering the graves becomes wet and heavy as a result of the soil being waterlogged and then sinks,” Ronald explained.
According to the senior manager of cemeteries and crematoria at City Parks Reggie Moloi, they can only restore the graves with permission from the family. Therefore, they encourage members of the community to visit the graves of their loved ones regularly so that damaged graves can be identified and reported.
“Johannesburg City Parks Zoo understands that graves are sacred to families who have laid their loved ones to rest. Our teams are on standby to restore the sunken soil at the grave that family members have identified,” he said.
Details: Residents may direct their inquiries to Reggie Moloi at 011 712 6714, rmoloi@jhbcityparks.com, or call the Joburg call centre at 011 375 5555.
