Primrose-based Hawley Marble and Granite Works can boast another feather in their caps.
The company, which has been in business for 60 years, designed and manufactured a beautiful monument for well-known businessman Prof Mohale Mahanyele, which was unveiled in the high profile section of the West Park Cemetery, last Saturday.
The monument features specially quarried black granite, letters in gold, a prayer bench, a photograph embedded into the back slab/headstone in porcelain and a bronze bust of Mahanyele.
It also has an extremely unique security feature – a micro-chip has been put into the bust to prevent theft.
Collen Hawley, the owner of Hawley Marble and Granite Works, told the GCN that theft and vandalism at cemeteries is a huge problem.
“The bust has a resale value and, in order for us to continue with the project, we decided that some type of security measure needed to be put in place,” he said.
“We came across a company called Memorial Alert, that specialises in micro-chips for monuments.
“Now, if someone tries to steal or damage the bust, a siren will go off and a SMS will be sent to both the manufacturer and the client.”
Hawley believes the micro-chips will go a long way in helping to prevent vandalism at cemeteries.
“They can easily be put into normal granite monuments, as well,” he said.
“From now on, we will be fitting all our big monuments with the devices.”
