The R12-million Glencoe cemetery project in the Payne Farm area remains incomplete, with not a single grave dug since construction began in early 2024.

The project has been controversial from the outset, with nearby residents claiming they were never consulted about the development. They also raised concerns about the cemetery’s position on a slope near a flood-prone area, fearing that water could flow through the site and potentially wash away graves.

A promise to tar the access road has also yet to be fulfilled.

At the time, Ward 7 councillor Saleem Abdool said the decision to establish a cemetery in Payne Farm dated back to 2018, under the previous council, before he became a councillor.

Projects remain incomplete

With the fenced-off site seemingly abandoned, the lack of progress has again come under scrutiny ahead of the November 4 Local Government Elections.

The situation is not unique to Glencoe. The proposed new Dundee cemetery off Argyle Road, developed at around the same time, also remains unused.

Abdool, an executive committee member, acknowledged that several Endumeni Municipality projects funded through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) remained incomplete.

“The Glencoe cemetery site has not been handed over.

“We are not sure what the holdup is because questions are not answered. Hajee Jamal Street in Peacevale — we all know that two construction companies have been there for a long time and still no progress, except now residents must deal with a gravel road,” he said.

He also highlighted continuing problems along Argyle Road, where coal trucks continue to damage the road surface despite repair attempts and millions of rand having been spent.

Abdool said the Auditor-General had raised concerns about outstanding projects in her last two reports, yet little progress had been made towards completing the work and formally handing over the sites.

He attributed the municipality’s deteriorating state of repair partly to its financial constraints, following the failure to pass what has been described as an unfunded budget.

The municipality is also subject to austerity measures that require its day-to-day expenditure to remain within the previous year’s spending levels, further constraining its ability to address infrastructure and service-delivery challenges.

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