VANDERBIJLPARK.- Buried on the sidewalk, on the wrong side of the designated grave with no receipt.
This is the terrifying tale of Dimakatso Majoro from Bophelong, who wanted to give her husband, Paliso Ramotho (78) the proper burial that he deserved.
“I wanted to bury my late spouse under a horizontal headstone, which is now out of the question,” she said.
Her dream she had to bury her late husband was immediately shattered when the funeral procession of mourners arrived at the graveyard on August 7.
They were informed by Two Mountains Burial Services from Germiston that the A-section was already full.
To rub salt into the wound, Majoro said the alleged number of the grave was then scribbled on a piece of paper and handed to one of her children after the burial.
Other relatives disagreed with the grave number. They alleged that the number does not match with the numbers in the A-section. One family member pointed out to Ster South that their grave number does not start with an alphabet and end with another alphabet.
Two Mountains Burial Services from Germiston was allegedly paid R3 350 by the widow’s daughter, Lebo two
days before the funeral service.
Lebo says that Katleho Mavimbela, manager of Two Mountains was accompanied by an ELM caretaker. “No receipt or any prove of payment was given to Lebo,” said ajoro.
The bereaved fear that friction between the caretaker from the Emfuleni municipality and the undertaker will somehow result in the family having to pay for an exhumation. Approached for comment, Mavimbela said that she was directed to the burial site by an ELM caretaker known to her. The caretaker directed the undertaker to the spot where it was made clear that the deceased was a horizontal burial, elaborated Mavimbela.
She said she enquired with the caretaker about the site and was told that the headstone site is full.
The alleged caretaker pointed the undertaker to the A-section where a burial was taking place.
“I was not aware that the grave is on the sidewalk. I am not familiar with those graves,” she said.Asked whether she brought the matter to the attention of the bereaved, she responded, “no”.
“I was not given a receipt for payment at that time. The officer at Emfuleni told me that the system is offline until further notice. “The problem lies with ELM, as we have done our part”, said Mavimbela.
The ELM Spokesperson, Chuchie Mojalefa Radebe confirmed that the matter is under internal investigation.
The municipalty cannot divulge any person involved or investigated. “The case is sensitive and needs to be handle with care,” he said. While the municipalty is busy with an internal investigation, a case of fraud is being handled by the Vanderbijlpark Police Station. The matter will be taken to the prosecutor. Police spokesperson, Sergeant Gertrude Makhale confirmed a case of fraud has been opened by the Emfuleni Municipality. A well-placed reliable source in Emfuleni said the undertaker arrived with cash on 22 August to pay. The undertaker was requested to come with the bereaved. Another source said, “no cash, no burial”, and it is still to be found how the undertaker access the burial. The undertaker will have to cooperate with the police about who assisted with the burial on the sidewalk or stand-alone site.