eMZINONI – A family was horrified upon visiting the graves of their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, only to find the mementos that had recently been placed were suddenly missing.
Mr Mlotshwa, head of the family, said he wanted his kids to see the latest arrangement on the family graves, however, he was shocked to see the state of the graves and the mementos, missing.
“I came during the Easter holidays to fix and clean the graves of my family members as per my family’s tradition.
“All the metal flowerpots were missing and the iron bars I specially designed to mark the graves, were also missing.
“I could not believe my eyes and did not know what to do.
“Its heartbreaking to see the mess they left.”
He said he cried and thereafter conducted uKupahla and called on his ancestors to fight for themselves.
He said people who are stealing from the graves are opening doors for curses.
“In our culture a graveyard is a sacred place and should be respected.
“It is a shame that people have the audacity to steal from graves.
“I am calling on pastors, traditional leaders, traditional healers and other community leaders to warn our community against this practice.”
He did not open a case because he thought it was not going to help.
Const Cynthia Mtshweni, police spokesman, said the police have noticed this new trend of stealing from graveyards.
She said a suspect was recently apprehended for stealing from the graves and the items were recovered.
“We are calling on our people to visit the police station to view the items we have recovered and verify if it belongs to them.
“We will continue to work hard to reduce crime in the area.”
