Tombstone theft in Dobsonville causes concern

The vandalism of tombstones at the Dobsonville cemetery has raised eyebrows of residents who said they are fed up and concerned about the unabated criminality targeting tombstones of their loved ones.

They stated that the cemetery has been neglected and abandoned by the City, which has contributed to the ongoing criminal activities.

It is believed that the thieves target the old tombstones to remove the wire mesh steel reinforcement inside and grave yard markers which are sold to recycling centres while others take the slates to resell and make kitchen countertops.

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Pieter Baloyi, whose late mother and grandmother’s tombstones were stolen said he was shocked when he visited the gravesite last month. He described the incident as a disturbing and twisted way of making money.

“When I came here, I realised that a lot of tombstones have been vandalized and nothing is being done to assist us. Our graveside is not taken care of. Look at West Park and look here. We buried them here so they could rest but how can they rest when there are people terrorising them. No one knows who these people are but we have learnt that if the slate of the tombstone is written, they don’t take it because it is harder to resell,” Baloyi commented.

According to Baloyi, who said while he suspected drug dealers, he also had suspicions that the tombstone manufactures could be intentionally using weakened glue, in order to return and take the slates back.

“It is possible because the money goes back into the business and no one would suspect them. These people are making a lot of money with these things, whoever it is, it is a booming business because even the other cemetery in Dobsonville is having the same challenge,” he said.

Residents said the matter is gettig out of control and they had been growing impatient with the lack of intervention from relevant stakeholders.

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“Seeing our loved ones disrespected brings anguish. When we erected these tombstones, it is to serve as a remembrance to honour their memories and have a place where we can visit them.

“They first started with the butler enclosing the tombstone but we did not anticipate that the slate would be removed too, because the last time we were here it was still in good condition.

“I’ve had to ask people to fix it because it cannot be left in this condition,” explained a distressed Busiswe Msimango, whose father and brother’s tombstone has been destroyed.

“In our time, we never saw people walk freely at the gravesites. We used to be so afraid of such places, but now people do as they please, it is shameful what has become of our society,” she slammed.

They called on all points of entry to be immediately closed and the main gate to be locked as there was no security.

This they said would limit people from roaming about in the cemetery. In addition to this, they also said the cemetery needed to have its own dedicated office where people would be directed to in order to monitor any activity pertaining to reburials.

“The drug users smoke and hide out here and others use it like it’s a park. We want to hear from the Cllr and the City what plans of interventions are they looking into because this has been happening for far too long in our community. All of these need to happen urgently,” Baloyi added.

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Ward 48 councillor, Salamina Mpotulo said she was not aware of the issue but would engage with City Parks as an immediate resolution to addressing the concerns, starting with the issue of the fence.

Speaking to Urban News, Mpotulo said, “I took office in late 2021, therefore I cannot answer for what happened before my tenure however, we are not aware of any vandalisms as it has not been brought to our attention. We hold quarterly and emergency meetings where we talk about such issues but it was never spoken about. The passage by Mkhize was done so people can use it to get around to the other side but people began walking through the cemetery, that is the only issue I am aware of but I will urgently engage with City Parks to see how soon they can attend to the concerns.”

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