Relatives sickened by state of church, cemetery

Relatives of people buried in the St Patrick’s Church cemetery in Umbogintwini are dismayed by the dilapidated state it has been allowed to deteriorate into.

 
In 2012 the Sun reported that Amafa, the provincial heritage conservation agency, informed the developers of Umbogintwini Village, Arbour Town that the church and cemetery grounds have to be restored and maintained due to their heritage to the community.

 
This has not been done, according to Fran Rapson, one of the relatives.

 
“The developer of the Umbogintwini Village has made it clear that nothing will be done to maintain the church. When it falls down, it will be demolished,” she said.

 
“The stained glass windows and beautiful pews have all been broken and removed, vagrants have moved in and the building is far beyond restoration.

 
Previously we were told by the developer that the church and cemetery grounds would be restored and maintained.”

 
Umbogintwini Village and St Patrick’s Church were originally part of the then Kynoch explosive factory, which was opened in 1908 – the history and ‘corner stone’ of Athlone Park, Umbogintwini and Amanzimtoti.

 
In response to the Sun’s query in 2012, Ros Devereux, the head of the built environment section of Amafa, labelled St Patrick’s as a ‘category 3 – local importance building’ and said all buildings over 60 years are protected and a permit needs to be obtained for any alterations, additions or to demolish any structure so protected and that the owners of Arbour Town were well aware of the heritage legislation and they had obtained permits for work under strict conditions imposed by Amafa.

 
They were also aware that, as owners, they must maintain the buildings in terms of the heritage legislation and Amafa can require the owners to reinstate the buildings to their former condition or forfeit them to the state.

 
“What a joke. I wonder how Arbour Town managed to get away with what has become of the village and be allowed to let the church and cemetery become a haven for vagrants,” said Fran. “It is not a place I would suggest anyone to visit on their own.

 
Brenda Fourie and Fr John Dallais of the Amanzimtoti Catholic Church recently visited the cemetery to find parts of the Wall of Rememberance had been smashed and loved ones’ ashes lying on the ground.”

 
Arbour Town CEO, Holger Peens said their responsibility was only in maintaining the property and not in restoring the building.
“The cemetery is maintained – the grass gets cut in between the graves on a monthly basis (less frequently in winter), excluding December as our staff are on holiday,” he said.

 
“The graves themselves should be maintained by relatives of the deceased.

 
We do not maintain the church as it was severely vandalised some years ago. I do not believe that we said we would maintain the church in 2012, as the church was already in its current state then. We did, however say that we would maintain the graveyard, which is what we are doing.”

 
Amafa said a permit application for the demolition of the church was submitted by Arbour Town at the end of October. “Amafa referred the application for further information and a public consultation process,” said Ros.

 
“However, the developer was reminded that the building was listed as a category 3 site and that the permit was unlikely to be granted.
The developer was further advised to secure and maintain the site in the interim. There have been no further submissions and the application will lapse at the end of April if not completed by then.”

 
An advertisement regarding the demolition application was to have been placed on the gates and any person or group wishing to object to the demolition could contact beadmin@amafapmb.co.za for the relevant forms.

 
“Amafa is concerned that the church and cemetery have been cut off from the community it served through subsequent developments that are of an industrial nature, resulting in the vandalism that has occurred.

 
Sites like this need community involvement in their management and maintenance. If any group would like to assist the developer in maintaining and securing the site, it would probably be welcomed as the developer has no use for the property. Preservation hinges on a sustainable use for the building or site and, in similar cases, deconsecrated churches have been turned into businesses or residences. Amafa would support initiatives towards the preservation of the church and the surrounding cemetery, provided that the interventions comply with basic conservation principles.

 
I will advise the municipality on the current condition of the building, so that the applicable bylaws can be enforced,” said Ros.

 
Anyone who has an interest in the church and cemetery or has a relative buried there, can contact Brenda Fourie on 083-307-3944, email Brenda Kelly at brendakelly@gmail.com, Father John or Meg on 031-903-3328, Fran Rapson on 078-392-9858, Lee Madson on 083-229-7902, or Paddy Clancy on 031-904-1769.