Grave calamity at cemetery
A Lynnwood resident has demanded proof from the Tshwane metro about exactly where in the Pretoria East Cemetery his parents-in-law are buried.
The Tshwane metro could be forced to exhume bodies for DNA testing should it fail to prove who is buried where in the Pretoria East cemetery.
Lynnwood resident Antonie Visser last week made the disturbing discovery that the headstone of his parents-in-law had been moved from its original grave site to a different row in the vast cemetery.
Photographs clearly indicate that the headstone at the double grave of Jacob Pieter Greyling and his wife Sophia Aletta Greyling is now in a different position from where it had been when they were laid to rest respectively in January 2013 and July 2013.
Visser urged others with loved ones buried at the cemetery to make sure that headstones were they should be.
The metro has been in hot water for months since heavy earthmoving equipment had been
used to prepare areas between headstones for landscaping – in the process damaging some gravestones and completely removing others.
A public outcry followed and the metro, by mouth of regional executive director Sello Chipu, apologised.
Visser said: “I demand that the council prove to my satisfaction exactly where my parents-in-law are buried.”
If this could not be done, he would look into the option of demanding the exhumation of the bodies for DNA testing.
The Vissers first realised that something was amiss on Easter Sunday when they visited the grave after attending a church service.
“We went to the spot where we often visited my wife’s parents’ grave in the past but could not find it. At first we thought we were maybe a bit confused and my son started looking around,” Visser said.
“He found the headstone in the next row of graves. It somehow did not seem right but we placed flowers on the grave and decided to take a photograph of the headstone.”
On their return home, Visser compared earlier photos of the grave with the one taken on that day. Several aspects confirmed his shocking discovery.
“Firstly, the grave marker of Hendrik Johannes Naude, in 2013 in the row behind the Greyling grave, is now next to it. Secondly, the houses in a bordering estate is farther the back then in 2013.”
Closer inspection of the photograph taken most recently showed new cement used to erect the headstone, which is also slightly more tilted.
Visser said that he demanded an urgent meeting with Tshwane officials responsible for Pretoria East cemetery.
He also warned others with loved ones buried at the cemetery to make sure that the headstones were erected on the correct graves.
He said though numbers had been placed on the graves, who knew if the numbers were correct.
“I do not want compensation or an apology, I want it to be rectified.”
Visser said he would not give up the fight until the matter had been resolved to his satisfaction.
Meanwhile, a meeting scheduled by the Tshwane metro to discuss problems at the cemetery was postponed on Friday.
“Be informed that due to unforeseen circumstances the second public meeting in respect of the ongoing upgrades as well other developments at the Pretoria East Cemetery has been postponed until further notice,” metro spokesman Lindela Mashigo said in a statement.
“The meeting was due to take place on the 4 April 2016. The City apologises for the inconvenience this postponement may cause.”
At the time of going to print, the metro could not be reached for comment about Visser’s predicament with his parents-in-law’s grave.
Also read:
Uproar over groundwork at cemetery
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