Community forces pause on pauper funerals for untraceable deceased

The infuriated residents of Lehurutshe outside Zeerust in the North West yesterday stopped the department of health from burying unknown and untraceable people in their cemetery.

The government’s pauper funerals could not happen yesterday as the community forced the municipality to close 14 graves prepared for the deceased people whose families or next-of-kin could not be located.

The residents believe the deceased were not South Africans and should be sent back their countries of origin.

“We are very happy for those who went to stop this madness, we cannot have foreigners buried in our cemetery. Government must send them back home,” a woman, who did not want to be named, said.

A resident, Mpho Molebatsi, 35, blamed the government’s poor communication.

“Both the community and government are wrong. The government should have properly communicated with the community, especially via the ward councillor.

“The land belongs to the government and they do what they think is best at that time. If we don’t bury them there, then where should they be buried?” asked Molebatsi.

“The saddest thing is to find that your relative is part of the unknown corpses. Those corpses have families but the problem is that they cannot be traced. We have relatives who have been missing from as far as 20 years back; they were probably buried somewhere else.”

The provincial health department has been conducting pauper funerals in other areas of the Ngaka Modiri Molema region, such as Mahikeng and Lichtenburg.

Now, it was Zeerust’s turn.

The unknown deceased are said to be from various healthcare centres in the region and their families cannot be traced or located.

Dalino George, the owner of Dalino Funerals, was contracted to bury the 14 corpses yesterday. “The community felt that they were not properly consulted.

The matter is now with the provincial department of health and Ramotshere Moiloa local municipality,” he said.

George said the 14 corpses were returned to the provincial health department because he did not have enough space.

He said he will wait until he is called to complete the work. Ward councillor and speaker of Ramotshere Moiloa, Portia Lesufi, said she was never informed about the burials.

“I was not aware, as I was never informed. The community was also not informed on these burials, hence the confusion and uproar,” she said.

Community activist Pilot Mosothoane, said:

“We have not been informed. We do not have enough space to bury random people. We are even scared that we may not find another land to bury our people when this one is full, so we cannot afford to bury those people. They must go and talk to tribal chiefs in the villages, they have enough land,” he said.

Another resident who did not want to be named said the government was undermining the bylaws.

“Our bylaws are simple, you are only buried here once you have stayed here for a certain time. To make matters worse, we have to pay R1 500 for a grave. How will these corpses pay that?

“If you say the government will waive or pay for them, you will technically be saying that we will be paying for funeral expenses of people we don’t know. Are they even South Africans?” asked the resident.