Glencoe cemetery project was first mooted in 2018 – councillor
Cllr Salem Abdool said that the decision to build a cemetery in the Payne Farm area dates back to 2018.
The R12-million new Glencoe cemetery that was launched with much fanfare amid a soil-turning ceremony last week has been met with strong opposition and outrage by residents living in the Payne Farm area.
Addressing the community, Mayor Ndlovu presented Asizqalele Contractors as the contractor who will be building the cemetery. Ndlovu stressed that the funds are from the state-aided Municipal Infrastructure Grant and that the contract will create temporary jobs for 30 people in Ward 7.
But many Payne Farm residents, living adjacent to the abandoned railway complex, said they are opposed to the project because they say there was a lack of communication and they were not consulted. One of their fears is that the underground streams in the area, compounded by a lack of drainage and the geography of the terrain, makes it vulnerable to flooding during heavy rain, as experienced this summer.
Amanda Oosthuizen and Ntombi Ngobese said they were surprised that no notifications or letters regarding the proposal to build a cemetery were received from Endumeni Municipality. “The entrances to the area get washed away by heavy rains and all the roads are in an appalling condition. Yet we get a R12-million graveyard. Surely the municipality should ask what we want?” they told the Courier.
Lettie van Zyl, who has lived at Payne Farm for many years, said her rates and taxes had increased by 300% in the last few years. “We have often complained about service delivery where council has failed to supply residents with water, yet water trucks belonging to the contractors were seen on site. “Since the December 18 storm, we still have no streetlights. If it rains, you have to be sure to check that the water doesn’t run through your house. The road is never maintained and the drainage system is non-existent,” Van Zyl said
Ward 7 councillor responds: Cllr Salem Abdool said that the decision to build a cemetery in the Payne Farm area dates back to 2018 when the previous council was in power and before he was a councillor.
“According to the documentation, the consultants were appointed and objections called for after a public notice was given. The consulting engineers would have done an environmental impact study and any objections raised would have been attended to – as per legislation. I perused the documentation after residents contacted me and I had to do research, as I was not involved in 2018.”
Cllr Abdool told the Courier that Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding is being used for the project. “These funds are from the National Treasury and if a municipality does not use their specific grant within a financial year, the funds must be sent back to Pretoria.” He added that he had contacted the Technical Services Department to attend to all service delivery complaints raised by Payne Farm residents.
“What I have seen is that broken branches and other damage is still visible following the December storm. This should have been cleared weeks ago.”
Asked about the 30 temporary jobs created by the project, he said that only deserving people from Ward 7 had been selected. Commenting on the Dundee cemetery (which is being built by the same contractors), Cllr Abdool said the second tranch from the MIG would be available after July 1 (new financial year), after which phase 2 of the Dundee project will continue.
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