Pretoria cemetery has become a ‘shebeen and a bathroom’

The Pretoria East cemetery has been turned into a “shebeen and a bathroom”, according to residents who said the graveyard had become a spot for people to drink alcohol and socialise while relaxing on the graves, Pretoria East Rekord has reported.

While visiting her parents’ grave on June 22, Ria van Vuuren and her family were met with the sight of a naked man bathing out of a bucket while another group of men relaxed on tombstones with bottles of alcohol.

In a picture taken by Van Vuuren, the group can be seen having a “social” at the cemetery. While some sit on the gravestones, others can be seen sitting on chairs seemingly in conversation, and one is even using a tombstone as a backrest while sipping from a bottle of alcohol.

“I was with my husband and child and for us to see that, was really disturbing,” she said.

As the family drove in she observed the nonchalant attitude of the men, as they seemed unfazed and continued with their social.

“This is unacceptable. There are so many people whose loved ones are buried there, and the disrespect is disheartening.

“This is supposed to be a respected place. It is not a place for people to drink alcohol.”

Van Vuuren said she did not feel safe when visiting the cemetery.

She suspected that the people from the nearby Plastic View squatter camp were responsible for the behaviour, with the help of the security personnel hired to guard the cemetery.

She alleged that a guard was among the men who were drinking on the day.

“He is supposed to make sure such things do not happen, but instead he sits with them,” she said.

Another resident Etienne Kruger said the “disrespectful” behaviour was nothing new. “Sometimes they bath right there in the open while a funeral is in progress,” he said.

Kruger said there was also a lot of theft and vandalism at the cemetery.

“Most of the taps do not have handles as they have been stolen. Copper wires have also been stolen.”

“We are aware of the said incident, and security personnel were alerted of the incident, and ever since we have not received any more complaints.”

He said a fence that was erected in 2016 between the squatter camp and the cemetery has been subject to vandalism and theft.

Mashigo said the metro’s housing department was attending to the squatter camp, but could not move the people as there was a court order that prohibited them from doing so.

“The squatters cannot be removed until the case is finalised. Until then, the city will still struggle with the problems of theft and vandalism,” he said.

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