Stealing tombstones and burglar gates at Avalon cemetery is a growing trend in the community and no one seems to have control over fighting this crime.
Chiawelo-based Vusi Manganyi and Mapetla resident Nthabiseng Komakoare among the victims.
Manganyi said that her cousin’s burglar gate and gravestone had been uprooted and that no one at the cemetery witnessed the incident.
“My cousin was buried July this year and we installed gold burglars and silver stone to honour her – which all costs us lots of money. Not three month later these items are missing and we tried to get help but no one is willing to help us.
“To me this means that our brothers and sisters are not sleeping peaceful at their last home.”
Komako said lots of people are still going to lose money if the security at the cemetery’s gate is not tightened up.
“If people from nowhere just come and steal property, it is very disturbing to us as families and we cannot always keep wasting money buying new tombstones.”
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo communications manager Jenny Moodley said: “We have heard of these problems and are working hard on a solution. For now we have introduced tombstone chips which we will make them available after we have received feedback of the ones already installed at the graveyard.”
