Maintenance at cemetery upsets mourner
Much to the despair of mourners, there are strict council by-laws that have to be adhered to when it comes to the maintenance of cemeteries.
These by-laws were brought to the attention of the Herald by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, after a Brakpan resident complained about decorative items being removed from her loved one’s grave.
Joan van Biljon, who regularly visits the Brakpan Cemetery to tend to her husband Johan’s grave, was shocked to discover that a little white fence, artificial flowers and other items had recently been removed.
The discovery left her extremely upset and angry.
“I’m not sure if it’s vandalism, but I can’t get hold of anyone to find out,” she said.
“If it was the municipality, surely I should have been told about it and not just left to find it in this state?”
According to Lebogang Ramashala, media officer for the metro, the incident was not vandalism, but part of the maintenance programme, as per the municipality’s Cemetery and Crematorium By-laws.
According to these by-laws the following applies:
Gardening and care of graves
* Unless otherwise provided in these by-laws, the council shall be responsible for keeping the cemeteries in a clean and neat condition.
* No gardening is allowed in the berm and grass section.
* No person shall erect, place or leave upon a grave any object or decoration, except during the first 30 days following the internment therein.
* No tree or shrubs may be planted on the graves in any section.
* The cemetery officer or any member of his staff may remove natural or artificial flowers or anything placed on the grave.
* No person shall at the time of the council levelling/grassing any section of a cemetery, hinder the cemetery officer in the execution of his/her duties.
* No soil may be removed from the grave without the consent of the cemetery officer.
Please note that residents have a choice between a full stone and berm section burial before the burial takes place.
The contact numbers for the Brakpan Cemetery are:
* 011 999 8243
* 079 498 7285/079 878 8245/073 158 1089
Rose is the cemetery officer and Basetsana is the cemetery clerk.
Die begrafplaas is in ‘n toestand. Nerens ‘n ou groen dingetjie in sig nie. Hierdie “by-laws” word nie by ander begrafplase toegepas nie. By ander kan jy maar jou blommetjie plant met die wete dat dit nie uitgeruk en geplunder gaan word nie.
Ek was ‘n paar maande gelede by my ouma se graf in Brakpan, en was vreeslik onsteld toe ek sien dat daar beeste op die babas se grafte “wei”!! Al die mooi ou blommetjies word van NUWE grafte gevreet terwyl die outjie wat na die beeste kyk op ‘n ander plekkie le en slaap!!!
Is dit ook deel van die “by-laws”??
Hulle kon tenminste die arme vrou in kennis gestel het. Ek is seker sy het nie van al hierdie reels en regulasies geweet nie!
In some instances we are forced to take the maintenance of the graves of our loved ones into our own hands. A few months ago we were very upset about the state of the graves. My father’s grave and the two next to his had sunken about half a meter and it kept getting worse. We battled for 6 weeks to get this filled up by the municipality. At long last we contacted Martins Funeral Services who assisted us in fixing the graves. It is such a shock and upsetting matter to find the graves in such a state and then you are not allowed to fix it yourself, but the municipality takes weeks to even just come back to you. I feel that people should be allowed to beautify the graves of their loved ones.
Dis die swakste reël wat ek nog gehoor het? Waar in die lewe mag jy nie jou geliefde se graf besoek en bietjie mooimaak en blomme opsit nie. Ad die familie dit nie doen nie lyk die plek pateties en onversorg! Maar as hulle 1 eenkeer in 10 jaar “skoonmaak” dan verwyder hulle sommer als wat netjies is? Om wat mee te doen? Seker by hul huise hul tuine op te knap…jammer dis belaglik en swak!
Wragtig die swakste reels wat ek nog ooit van gehoor het, en ek dink ook dat dit heeltemal teenstrydig is met mense regte. Ek besoek die begrafplaas gereeld en 2 weke gelede het ek blomme ter waarde van R200 op beide my pa en my broer se grafte gaan sit. Die volgende dag is ek terug om die kruis op my broer se graf te gaan herstel. Tot my ontsteltenis was my blomme weg. Was dit die begrafplaas personeel? Ek dink ek het ‘n reg om blomme op my pa en my broer se graf te sit. Wat se wonderlike “maintenance program” het ons wat sulke goed doen. Hoekom vul hulle nie liewer die grafte op wat oral ingesak het nie?