WATCH: Homeless sleep on graves in Mooifontein cemetery despite R200k a month security (VIDEO)

DA MPL Refiloe Ntseke said she was horrified to find homeless people using tombstones as shelter at the Mooifontein cemetery in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni.

Crime problems at the cemetery

Ntseke, whose relatives are buried at that cemetery, said she went to inspect the cemetery after a video of homeless people creating makeshift shelters on top of people’s graves was circulated among community groups.

ALSO READ: Watch out for the living when visiting Joburg cemeteries, says City Parks

The video, which The Citizen has seen, shows proof of habitation and the grave site with tents and other tools found on the tombstones of the dead.

“This shocked me because there are people I was close to buried there. Criminals and the homeless are doing what they want at the cemetery” she said.

Watch a clip of inside the cemetery

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Ntseke said the cemetery had become so dangerous that she had been informed of an incident where a group of mourners was robbed while burying a loved one.

“There are around 14 security guards at the cemetery, that is a lot. What are they doing? What is also a problem is that there are gaps in the palisade fencing around the cemetery,” she said.

Ekurhuleni pays over R200 000 for security per month

According to Ntseke, the Gauteng government confirmed that the municipality had employed a security company to guard the cemetery at a cost of over R200 000 per month.

ALSO READ: Cemetery crisis: Burial space is shrinking

“This is a lot of money. What are they doing when people are sleeping on top of people’s graves? This is not the only problem. The cemetery is not maintained. It’s dirty, even the grass is not well kept,” she said.

Ntseke, who lives in the vicinity of the cemetery, said residents were aware of the crime problems in the cemetery.

“People know that the cemetery is dangerous, and they are aware that they have to be cautious when visiting the graves of their loved ones,” she said.

Provincial government response

In a written response to Ntseke’s questions to the Gauteng Department of Corporative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC Mzi Khumalo said the province would attend to the complaints.

Khumalo said the security company’s work included “monitoring, guarding, and access of the council building and property.”

Mooifontein is not the only cemetery that has experiencing problems with crime and invasion by the homeless.

Johannesburg City Parks has also warned those who visit their cemeteries to watch out for vandalism and theft.