Westpark Cemetery is overrun by hip-high long grass and shrubbery
Cemetery conservationist Sarah Welham is surprised that an active cemetery seems to be prioritised less for horticultural maintenance than full or inactive graveyards like Braamfonten.
When Albi Senatore went to visit his mother’s grave recently at Westpark Cemetery, he was astounded by the lack of maintenance. “We could not walk through the overgrown grass and she [mother] was afraid of snakes. We also worried about not being able to see dips or something to trip us up on the ground.”
He says it is a ‘total lack of respect for the dead and taxpayers’.
“It is a tragedy because there is a City Parks office on site with workers and a cemeteries manager.”
He says the area of ‘famous’ graves are well kept so it ‘feels the rest of us are not cared about’ and that this is an ongoing problem throughout the year. “When they do eventually cut the grass with weed whackers, the grass is splattered on the graves which is not removed and it looks equally awful.”
This cemetery is an active one with space for new burials, with up to 75 a weekend.
Spokesperson for Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) Jenny Moodley says, “In response to concerns raised, City Parks has instructed the maintenance teams to refocus their efforts on specific areas of concern. Work is currently in progress to urgently address concerns.”
She says last month, JCPZ deployed a contractor with new orders for grass cutting in February.
“Currently contractors who experienced delays due to the rains are working to swiftly complete the cutting and clearing. Given the expanse of the cemetery, contractors generally operate over the peak periods on back-to-back continuous cycles.
“Litter-picking and cleaning are undertaken daily, and horticultural service providers are deployed monthly. While the responsibility of maintaining the gravesite resides with the family, as stipulated in the cemetery bylaws, City Parks often must absorb this responsibility as well to uphold the sanctity and dignity of these resting places.”
Moodley says the entity has a responsibility to equally address overgrowth in all parks and its 42 cemeteries.
“It’s quite right that the entity could do with more resources, however, we need to be mindful that there are more pressing service delivery obligations that the city has to meet, and that the entity is striving to swiftly respond to all concerns.”
Founder of Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries Sarah Welham said, “I am surprised at City Parks’ negligence in the Westpark cemetery. In Braamfontein, which as you know is a passive cemetery, they seem to cut the grass at least every month. We don’t have this sort of problem there.
“I have been to Westpark over the years and found myself wading through long grass and blackjacks, making it difficult to read the inscriptions on some headstones. There should be more respect for the families who visit graves. This is after all an active cemetery, so more people are coming and going, unlike at Braamfontein.”
Related articles: Buried in shallow grave
