Mr Anthonie Prtiz from the Democratic Alliance (DA) said,
“The Gravestones tell stories of people who once lived, worked, and loved,”
as they surveyed the neglected gravestones with grass and weeds growing out of control. Much of the cemetery is almost in-accessible because of the tall grass. As the DA member waded into grass to find the grave of her father who was a military veteran it looked as if she was standing in the middle of the bushveld and not a graveyard.
“Our concern and I am sure the public’s concern about abandoned cemeteries has been growing over the past decade.” added Pritz.
Mr Anthonie Pritz and Mr Clive Hatch from the Democratic Alliance standing among the neglected graves at the Joubert Cemetery.
They plan on running a clean-up campaign in the near future and will update the community on the details and how they can get involved.
Several stories have been covered on robberies taking place at gravestones and grave vandalism, even cases where bodies have been dug up and desecrated and although previous clean-up projects have been successful, long term maintenance is ultimately required. The municipality was contacted for comment however no response was yet received.
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