CEMETERIES in the Buffalo City are in dire need of maintenance and are currently in a very poor state.
The East London Cemetery is covered with long grass and shrubs, as well as and litter strewn at the entrance.
The GO! visited the cemetery on Tuesday and saw headstones of graves knocked over and damaged and tombstones buried under long grass. that looks like it had not been cut in months.
On the Crime Spotter Buffalo City Facebook page, BCM residents decried the state of the resting places, mentioning in particular the state that of the East London Cemetery.
A Cconcerned Mdantsane resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the Mtsotso Cemetery in Mdantsane is no different to the one in East London.
“There is no space to drive and people even park their vehicles on other tombstones. , some are falling by the shrubs. It is a disaster, because there are trenches left unattended which is very dangerous with , and there children who playing nearby the sites,” which is very dangerous,” she said.
Sources who wished to remain anonymous, indicated that the cemetery in NU15 is also in a similar situation, where the grass has overgrown, and cattle are roaming, grazing and knocking over the headstones.
“Another concern is the crime that happens there. You would go and visit a loved one’s grave just to become a victim of crime, as criminals hide in the long grass and attack you. Graveyards are meant to be a resting place. How can they rest in that state?”
BCM spokeswoman Spokeperson for the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality(BCMM), Bathandwa Diamond, said the cutting of grass and cleaning the The BCMM cemetery section does regular maintenance of on cemeteries takes place across across the Mmetro. for grass cutting and cleaning.
“Routine checks are done on a monthly basis at cemeteries, and those include weekly routine check-ups for operations. The city is in a process of addressing the security challenge at the cemeteries which will then deter vandalism,” Diamond said.
