Themba Gadebe, spokesman for Ekurhuleni, says they are taking the safety and security of the mortal remains in a very serious light, which is the reason security guards have been appointment at the city’s cemeteries.
This was put in place after various cemeteries around Ekurhuleni were the targets of outrages acts such as tombstone vandalism, rape, and robbery as well as hijacking of gravesite visitors.
Various cemeteries in Ekurhuleni have been given this security upgrade, among them are Vlakfontein and Petersfield cemeteries.
“These were the hardest hit by crime and security has been beefed up with patrol dogs in addition to security officers and supervisory personnel,” says Gadebe.
“All cemeteries now have security officers and supervisory personnel.”
This intervention has yielded positive results that led to several arrests.
“The municipality also understands that the crime phenomenon is opportunistic in nature, which requires us to keep maintenance up to date in order for criminals not to take advantage of the long grass and overgrown weeds,” he says.
All cemeteries are maintained twice a month.
Security guards are stationed at the entrance to the cemetery and walk around on regular patrols, two are posted during night shift and one during the day.
When they note any suspicious activity, they immediately take action and the culprits are arrested.
Ward councillor Dean Stone says he is extremely impressed with the state of Petersfield cemetery and the way it is kept.
“Although we are very grateful for what they are doing, we can’t help but wonder what they are doing about the other cemeteries that are inactive as they are also being vandalised and broken apart,” he says.
He adds that Bakerton cemetery gets vandalised on a daily basis and no security was put there to keep the tombstones from being broken or vandalised.
“I just feel that security is needed at all cemeteries and not just the active ones.”
