Metro finally cuts grass at Geduld Cemetery
Councillor Thulani Simelane of Ward 74 hopes that the maintenance at the Geduld Cemetery will be a cregular activity.
Residents can breathe a sigh of relief because the grass-cutting at the Geduld Cemetery has started.
Ward 74 Clr Thulani Simelane confirmed that work to clean the graveyard began on February 6 after many complaints from loved ones unable to pay their respects in peace.
“Many families were saddened that they couldn’t pay homage, let alone clean the graves of their loved ones,” said Simelane.
He said that even though he and others met monthly in 2020 to help keep the gravesite maintained, their efforts were in vain because not many people assisted them, which saw them end their routine.
Simelane said the state of the cemetery was also a hiding place for criminals.
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The cemetery, part of Springs’ rich history, is the final resting place of many whose graves were vandalised over the years.
Sibongile Mkatshwa, who hasn’t been to her mother’s grave, said that when passing by on the road, she can see that anything could happen while inside the gravesite.
“The municipality hasn’t been doing anything about all the cemeteries around us,” said Mkatshwa.
“I fear for the safety of bystanders who frequent the area because of the long grass.”
Geduld resident Pattie Botha added that she and her family frequently visited the cemetery to remove weeds from her daughter’s grave, but they haven’t been able to do so in recent years.
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“It was so sad that we had to stop going there because it became too dangerous with random squatters inside the gravesite,” said Botha.
“Sometimes we’d just walk around to read the tombstones of people, many of whom we knew personally.”
According to metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, grass-cutting in cemeteries began last month after the appointment of service providers. The deployed teams will also move into open spaces such as regional parks and road reserves.
“More resources were made available for the servicing and the acquisition of equipment for internal teams so that we can fast-track the grass-cutting programme,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini added that a task team is monitoring the situation to normalise it and that where intervention is required, it will be rendered.
“Cemeteries and regional parks must be cut once a month according to the grass-cutting cycle. Sidewalks and open spaces must be maintained as needed.”
