Grave site vandalism a shock to Paulpietersburg

"It shows a total disrespect for the soldiers who were buried there, some separately in graves and some in the mass grave dating back to 1879." remarked Filter. "Soldiers of the 80th Regiment were buried there after the eNtombe (Intombi) massacre."

A desecrated grave, allegedly unearthed by vandals, is a blatant sign of disrespect for the dead.

The community of Paulpietersburg is shocked and outraged, following the recent desecration of several graves and memorial sites in the area.

One of the memorial sites which was vandalised.

A case of grave violation has since been opened at Paulpietersburg SAPS.

“We have had the unfortunate happenings of a grave of a previous farm dweller being found opened on July 16,” reported prominent Paulpietersburg farmer, Jörg Filter. “Upon noticing it, we immediately reported the incident to SAPS in Paulpietersburg, which consequently inspected the site. According to the SAPS Investigating Officer, an OB [occurrence book] entry was made.”

After Jörg Filter contacted the descendants of the person whose grave was unearthed, the grave was closed up again afterwards.

Filter said efforts were also made by farmers to trace the family of the deceased, which no longer resides on the farm, as well as making an effort to repair the grave.

A police officer inspects the site where the grave of a former farm inhabitant was desecrated.

“We have also recently been informed of damage done to the Filter-Larsen Monument on my farm Braunschweig, which dates back to 1937 and was erected to commemorate two war heroes from the Zulu War of 1879: Heinrich Filter and a Danish soldier, Larsen. Considerable damage has been done to the monument and the greater Filter family, as well as the larger community, feels shocked and outraged. The disrespect shown is seen by the Filter family as a violation of their human rights and heritage.”

Equally concerning is the timing of this desecration, to have happened during Heritage Month.
Filter explained further cases of desecration and damage to the British war graves and the monument at eNtombe were reported to Paulpietersburg SAPS, and in these instances, crosses atop the monument were broken off and the mass grave’s headstone toppled.

The site of the war memorial which was vandalised.

The mass grave itself has been partially unearthed in the middle.

“It shows a total disrespect for the soldiers who were buried there, some separately in graves and some in the mass grave dating back to 1879.” remarked Filter. “Soldiers of the 80th Regiment were buried there after the eNtombe (Intombi) massacre.”

Vandals caused considerable damage to this memorial site.

Filter explained community members from nearby congregations such as the eNtombe Lutheran Church and the Braunschweig and Lüneburg Lutheran Congregations were living in fear their respective church years might also fall victim to desecration.