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A Factreton resident said she was appalled by the state of Maitland Cemetery and says recently she could not access her father’s grave site because the area was flooded.
Lynne de Louw explained she had visited her dad’s grave on Wednesday 2 August, but when she arrived there, she was shocked to find the area was inaccessible.
“I went there as I do every year on his birthday. But the area around the grave was flooded. I couldn’t get to it. My dad is buried at Gate Four. People can’t even visit their loved ones’ grave sites because no one is doing anything about the water. I was sad and heartbroken because that is our loved one lying there. What was even more puzzling was that it wasn’t even raining that week.”
Ismail Salie says he visited the grave of his cousin, also buried at Gate Four. “We visit his grave every Sunday. I saw the flooding and I told the guys working there. They did nothing.”
He says as a family they are still coming to terms with the loss of a loved one and seeing his final resting place in that state was traumatic.
“My cousin was robbed and murdered and to go to a graveyard and see this, no person can ever put that into words. This is the resting place of our loved ones. It’s a place we go to when we go visit our family just to spend a little time with them. And you walk into this you can’t even get close to his grave. You have to stand at a distance to pay your respect. This is sad. His mother was sick after seeing this.”
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said her mom died in 2021 and is also buried at Gate Four.
She said her family was shocked to see the cemetery was not being maintained.
“One of her last wishes was that we bury her at Maitland Cemetery because her mother is buried there too. We weren’t aware of what the state of the cemetery was at the time. After her burial, our commitment as her children was that once a month we go there and try and tidy up.
“But there were times when we got there we couldn’t get to the grave. The grass was so high. One day I was there and I could see the mole holes. As we were busy cleaning, the moles were coming out of the ground.”
The woman explained she and her family clean up their mother’s gravesite and neighbouring sites monthly.
“Going there is a terrible experience. On a monthly basis, we as a family go and we take all equipment, we buy weed killer and clean up.”
She explained she reached out to the City of Cape Town via email on several occasions. These emails have been seen by People’s Post.
“I engaged with the area manager of the cemetery, who told me the maintenance of a plot is the family’s responsibility. We are aware of that. But the general maintenance of the cemetery is not, and this is not happening.
“I was told specialised equipment is used for purposes such as removing the water from waterlogged grave sites. I saw on Facebook that a number of people are complaining about graves that are flooded. So, if it’s a case of a burst water pipe then take the necessary steps to prevent this from happening.”
The woman also cited safety concerns.
“My mom is buried at Gate 4A, and there is a house at the entrance. You find people socialising and drinking there. On some occasions, there are even workers in their uniforms drinking. To me and many others this is the place where the remains of our loved ones are, a place we visit and pay our respects, so we can feel closer to them.”
Monray Adams, the owner of Royal Funerals Cape Town, says undertakers don’t have the liberty to choose specific grave sites.
“Once the family makes arrangements, they will tell us what cemetery they want, and we just liaise with the booking office of the specific cemetery and then book the grave for them. Whatever communication comes back from the cemetery we then communicate that to the family.
“A lot of people do think that an undertaker is responsible for the grave site, but it’s not. We do not have a say on where the grave is allocated. We do sometimes go and argue with them about the depth of the grave, but at the end, we still don’t have a say,” explains Adams.
Cheslyn Steenberg, Ward 56 councillor, said he had visited the cemetery on Tuesday 8 August to assess the damage.
“After numerous complaints received by residents about waterlogged graves, I visited Maitland Cemetery to see them for myself and engage staff on the matter. I saw first-hand how high the water table is, and during the winter season, it rises substantially. This is nature.
“Line departments are joining forces in the effort to pump water and divert it away from graves. Graves are a sacred space. I cannot see how our loved ones’ last resting places can be degraded in any way.”
Steenberg advised families to liaise with undertakers about allocated plots before burying a loved one.
“I call on families to engage undertakers before just signing off on allocated graves and ask questions such as ‘how high the water table in this section is’, and so on. Don’t just sign off. I will monitor this matter with interest.”
Patricia van der Ross, the Mayco member for community services and health, says there is a “water table” problem in some sections at the Maitland Cemetery which comes from underground water.
She says a team from the recreation and parks department was on site, on Tuesday 8 August, to pump it out to a lower level where there are no graves to assist with fast draining.
According to Van der Ross cleaning and maintenance of the cemetery is performed in accordance with the City’s standard maintenance schedule. She says mowing is carried out on seven cuts per annum.
“No mowing was planned for July and the next schedule will be carried out this month (August).”
Responding to questions regarding safety concerns at the cemetery, Van der Ross says: “The City will carry out fencing repairs and improve security for the facility during this financial year, 2023/2024. Cemeteries are classified as open spaces and are therefore required to remain accessible to all.”
She adds that vandalism and theft is a major challenge.
“The cost of continuous repair/replacement of damaged assets is unsustainable.”
Van der Ross urged residents to propose ideas on how to curb vandals or to become a volunteer and get involved in expanding the reach of City and police resources at recreation and parks facilities by forming groups such as neighbourhood watches.
