Budget too stretched for cemetery maintenance, says metro
According to metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, available funds are prioritised for active cemeteries. Rebecca Street Cemetery is currently inactive.

The Tshwane metro said it does not have the budget to maintain its cemeteries regularly.
This comes after concerns were raised over the deteriorating condition of Rebecca Street Cemetery in Pretoria West.
Resident Vaughn Taylor recently aired his grievances regarding the cemetery’s state to the mayor’s office during a visit to a family member’s gravesite.
“I recently visited the Rebecca Street Cemetery with my wife and mother-in-law, whose late parents are buried there. We found the facility to be in a disgraceful and neglected state. We were so appalled by its state that we brought in our own resources to clean up their graves. We found other things such as condoms that were strewn around the site, leaving much to the imagination of what goes on there,” Taylor said.
The gravesite was that of the late David Walker Reich, a former anti-apartheid magistrate and acting judge who served Pretoria residents for decades until he died in 1990.
The Wilson, Walker and Reich plots were among those left in disarray.
Carolyn Sullivan (née Reich) said she maintained six to eight graves in the family plots.
“I maintained them for many years but when my health got worse, I stopped maintaining them for the last five years and this is what I’ve been met with. This absolute horror, including the fact I could see two burst water pipes during the water crisis in South Africa. As well as the horror of not being able to even see the family plot, I had to have two gardeners on two separate days to clear the absolutely appalling state of the plot,” she said.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed the metro is aware of the conditions at the cemetery, yet recognises the limitations associated with its regular maintenance.
“The cemetery is serviced as and when the need arises depending on the available financial and human resources available. The city does not have sufficient resources to maintain all cemeteries regularly. Preference is given to active cemeteries and Rebecca is currently inactive,” Mashigo said.
The municipality is responsible for the maintenance of cemeteries, though residents are permitted to maintain their respective plots.
Rebecca Street Cemetery currently has 40 plots.
The metro said the cemetery needs grass-cutting but the water leak is from outside the property.
“Water leaks are attended to as and when they occur and can be reported to 012 358 9999.
An inter-departmental operation will be conducted in March to attend to grass-cutting, tree felling and potholes. Leaks are attended to regularly. The current pipe burst is outside the cemetery, flowing into the cemetery,” Mashigo concluded.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.