Graveyard heartache
Albersville resident Clarissa Chengadu expresses how the deterioration at the Albersville cemetery adds to her heartache.

Clarissa Chengadu says she feels nothing but heartache when visiting the cemetery in Albersville.
It’s not only because it’s a place where the dead are buried.
“My heart becomes sore when I see the condition of the cemetery. This is the only place I have to visit my daughter. When I see the waist-high grass, weeds flourishing, and general lack of maintenance I become sad. Then I become angry,” she said.

To make matters worse, litter and graffiti are visible near the entrance, where a dilapidated building seems moments away from collapse.
“You already have so much heartache and then you have to come and mourn in these conditions.”
Her daughter Ray’anne died at only nine months old, in 2012. She was buried in the family grave, where other relatives have been laid to rest.
Since that time, Clarissa has been visiting the cemetery on regular occasions and has seen the decline.

“The current state and quality of the cemetery is not good. The vegetation has almost consumed the area.”
Clarissa believes that the Albersville cemetery is the most neglected in the greater Port Shepstone area.
She explained that, in addition to its run-down state, it was also being used as a short-cut for foot traffic.
“It has not always been this bad, but in the past while the decline has become alarming,” she said.
During summer months, the threat of snakes in the near hip-high grass has made her anxious during visits and also made her hesitant to allow her other children to accompany her.

In her opinion, rates and taxes paid by ratepayers are not being sufficiently channeled back into the community.
“Many grave sites have become so overgrown by weeds and long grass that it can be difficult to locate a specific grave, especially if you have been away for an extended time, as pathways have become impossible to find.”
She said that as a result of this, visitors have to take extra care not to trample on the graves of others, as it is difficult to distinguish between a grave site and plain grass.

Despite her anger and heartache, Clarissa simply encourages the community to demand that attention be given to all cemeteries on the South Coast.
She felt the municipality must consider the emotional wellbeing of those who are mourning, as well as to address the decay of cemeteries in general.
Ray Nkonyeni Municipality was contacted for comment but none was forthcoming at the time of going to press.

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