WATCH: State of Alberton cemetery raises concerns

ALBERTON cemetery’s condition has had Albertonians raising their dissatisfaction as it is overrun by weed.

The overgrown weed is said to make the burial ground unappealing as weed overruns inside some of the tombstones and surrounding areas.

Eranee Stewart, a Raceview resident, said: “We, unfortunately, had to bury my mother recently, but we could not even walk properly between the graves because of the overgrowth. An employee who wants to stay anonymous told us that a tender has been awarded for cleaning up the place and the start date was going to be beginning of September.”

She said the tender was then reported to have been moved to commence at the beginning of October, but again delayed.

Oupa Moses, a resident from Katlehong, who often visits the burial site, said the cleanliness of the cemetery is not taken as a priority.

WATCH: A video of Oupa Moses taking a lead at keeping his loved one’s tombstone clean

“I have been coming here for years, since both my mother and grandmother are buried here. This year I came to the cemetery thrice and I haven’t seen much difference. The Alberton cemetery used to be the cleanest cemetery I have ever known, but that is not the case lately,” he said.

The RECORD spoke to Harriet Bless, head of cemeteries in Ekurhuleni. She said they are aware of the problem in the area.

“Graveyards are maintained by private contractors. At the moment we have a tender with a contractor which should begin the maintenance by December 1,” she said.

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