A barrage of complaints about the awful state of Boksburg Cemetery in Commissioner Street from family members who have loved ones buried there compelled the MMC of Environment and Waste Management, Andre du Plessis, to assess the state of the cemetery on January 14.
He was accompanied by the councillor for the area (Ward 32), Marius de Vos, and other municipality officials.
The Advertiser also attended the oversite visit.
During the assessment of the cemetery, du Plessis acknowledged that the council has failed the residents of Ekurhuleni, especially the families of those buried here.
He said the municipality is devising a plan to repair the vandalised security fence, cut the long grass and eradicate alien plants in the burial site.
Du Plessis also said he is going to engage with the EMPD to deploy security personnel at the cemetery as there are no security guards at the entrance nor inside.
“We have failed the people of Ekurhuleni, especially the families who buried their loved ones in this cemetery.
“As the municipality, we have contravened the Environmental Conservation Act of 1989, but I’m here to rectify that.
“I will try to raise funds for this cemetery, but in the meantime, we will use what we have to restore the cemetery to a better state.
“I’m here today because I have received several complaints about the condition of the cemetery from various residents and the people who visit their loved ones’ graves.
“Today, I have witnessed it myself. It is indeed true that the cemetery is in a horrific state.
“We will start on January 17 to restore it.
“The metro continues to introduce our residents to different methods of burial and we want them to also consider cremation of loved ones.
“We will offer that procedure to our residents when we have fixed our crematorium centre and machines,” du Plessis said.
He also revealed that he is aware of the fact that criminals are using the cemetery as a hiding place and committed to involving the EMPD to safeguard the cemetery to make it safe and secure for the families visiting.
De Vos told the Advertiser that he is always available to solve any general issues in his ward and he understands people’s frustration because the cemetery has been in that shocking state for a long time.
He added that he has been receiving complaints about the cemetery for a while and is now rolling up his sleeves and joining du Plessis to restore the cemetery.
“We are firmly focusing on the complaints. We are going to cut the grass and implement security and safety measures in the cemetery by the end of this month,” de Vos concluded.
Also Read: Outcry over poor upkeep of Boksburg Cemetery
Also Read: Boksburg Cemetery in a mess
