CRL mulls charges against NW mayor for failing to honour summons

Grief-stricken families whose loved ones’ 47 graves sank after a Ventersdorp/Tlokwe local municipality water pipe apparently burst and flooded a burial site are still struggling to find closure.

On Wednesday, family representatives travelled from Ventersdorp in North West to a Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities’ (CRL Rights Commission) hearing in Johannesburg to which mayor Kgotso Khumalo was summoned to explain why the graves were flooded.

However, he did not arrive and commission chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva threatened to open a case of failure to comply against him at a police station. But the municipality’s legal representative apologised, saying Khumalo was not aware he was supposed to be at the hearing.

Francinah Mathongwane, who buried her sister-in-law and brother-in-law on February 13 last year, told The Citizen that when she arrived at the cemetery on February 21, she found water flowing toward the graves.

“Lots of graves were badly damaged and a tombstone was covered with water. The situation traumatised me and I could not sleep as I had flashbacks of the water on the graves. I had to go for counselling,” said Mathongwane.

Ike Genu, who buried his aunt a day before the incident, said the problem was reported immediately, but it took the municipality a year to conduct an investigation and they had still not established what had happened.

Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said it had traumatised the families, who believed their loved ones were immersed in underground water when their coffins sank.

Although the municipal officials admitted they were at fault and apologised to the families, the commission’s deputy chairperson, professor David Mosoma, and Mkhwanazi-Xaluva questioned whether the officials understood the value of graves or of being elected into power by the community.

“I don’t think you are worthy to remain as leaders of this community,” said Mosoma.

The municipality has agreed to exhume the bodies and rebury them at another site.

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