Business owner finds solution to tracking stolen tombstones
Xolani Ndwalane, 28, the owner of a tombstone business, says he has found a way to ensure that tombstone thieves never win.
Xolani Ndwalane believes he has figured out a way to ensure that stolen tombstones are tracked down.
“Many families fall victim when the tombstones of their loved ones are stolen from the cemetery,” Xolani Ndwalane told African Reporter.
“We have had to look to technology to help us track them down.”
READ MORE: Concern in Pietermaritzburg over removal of unpaid tombstones
He says many families have become reluctant to spend a lot of money on beautiful tombstones because they fear they will be stolen.
The granite worker says he has figured out a way to track stolen tombstones.
“A QR code, just like a bar code, is unique to each product. If we add a chip as a tracking device, the stone can be located and identified.”
Ndwalane says he got the idea from one of his friends, and just like with a car, the thieves won’t even know where the device is.
“The device will also help to track the tombstone if the family forgets the grave number.
“You will always find it. We have already had a case where that has happened.”
Ndwalane says deep sandblasting also makes it much harder for the criminals to remove the print.
“I encourage people to check the graves of their loved ones frequently. I would say every three months.”
Ndwalane started his own business, Kgotso Lesedi, in 2016 and encourages his peers to do the same.
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