It’s a sad day when even the dead are not safe from acts of criminality and are also on the receiving end of government’s failures.
This week, horrific images surfaced of the vandalised wall that has for decades held the ashes of the dead in the Braamfontein Cemetery in Johannesburg. Placards with the names of the dead have been removed, with some of the urns holding the ashes of loved ones destroyed.
Unconfirmed allegations are that vandals tore down the placards with the aim of smoking the ashes buried behind them.
Apart from this abomination, other graveyards have been desecrated, with gravestones stripped of their granite and metal, and even the fences and gates stolen by criminals.
This behaviour paints a painful image of the moral decay we face as a society. But what is even more concerning is that City Parks — custodians of the graveyards — seemingly do not feel responsible for the upkeep of the city’s graveyards.
When TimesLIVE Premium and community members failed to get a comment out of them, the City of Johannesburg issued a statement saying the safekeeping of graveyards and cemeteries is not their responsibility alone.
But what is even more concerning is that City Parks — custodians of the graveyards — seemingly do not feel responsible for the upkeep of the city’s graveyards.
“After the recent and ongoing vandalism at the Braamfontein Cemetery, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) is calling for a collective effort to prevent and discourage destruction in cemeteries ... The entity believes that to curb and eliminate malicious acts across the city and its structures, a collective force with stakeholders such as Johannesburg metro police department, the police service, the department of social development, JCPZ park rangers, security companies and community groups are needed,” the city said.
The statement called on community members who have had graves vandalised to report it to the police.
While the city “was saddened by the situation”, its response was weak to say the least, saying the city was “in the process of engaging with the various stakeholders to find immediate solutions to prevent these acts from recurring”.
In the statement, the city further acknowledged that it was aware of homeless people who were living in cemeteries in the city. It promised to look into finding shelters and alternative housing for them.
The issue of vagrants occupying the cemetery, with some building makeshift shacks and dwellings between headstones, is nothing new.
The destruction of walls containing the ashes of departed loved ones is also nothing new, but again, a proactive reaction is required — one that stops such acts from happening in the first place.
Johannesburg must stop passing the buck on this issue. A solution as simple as employing adequate security guards, adequate patrolling, erection of proper lighting and the enforcement of arrests for perpetrators would have long ago put to an end this injustice to the dead.
Action from the city should be quick — but for scores of bereft loved ones, this will be far too little, far too late.
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