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DURBANVILLE: ASH COVES VANDALISED
Cemetery a grave concern ESMÉ ERASMUS
O
Residents were shocked when they discovered that the memorial wall at the Durbanville cemetery was vandalised. Ash boxes were burnt, memorial plates broken and ashes were found thrown out. INSERT: Some of the memorial name plates were broken.
pen coves, broken memorial name plates, ashes of loved ones thrown out of the urns – laying among human faeces and litter . . . This was the picture of the latest desecration of the memorial wall at Durbanville Cemetery that was shared widely on social media last week. The connections to two newly installed CCTV cameras were also vandalised. The shocking discovery was made by Trevor Steyl from Bothasig on Sunday 20 September when he went to visit the ash grave of his father, who passed away on 10 September two years ago. The photographs his brother took were shared widely on Facebook and WhatsApp groups and caused quite a stir. Some of the boxes with ashes were set on fire and burnt. People speculated that vagrants mix the ashes with other substances to smoke. This came a mere three months after the previous incident in which graves in the cemetery were severely vandalised by vagrants who have occupied the cemetry over the past years. Another resident, Tina Schilling, who
read about the latest vandalism on Facebook, went to the cemetery to check on the interred ashes of her parents-in-law. “I was devastated and shocked at the unbelievably filthy, derelict state and complete vandalism of a sacred area, where security cameras were ripped off and fencing gone,’’ she said. “I could not find their niche due to the absence of most plaques. Only a handful of plaques and closed niches at the back of the wall remained. I am very disturbed and angry. My parents-in-law paid the City for a niche – what for?” she said. Before the City could even execute its R1.4m security plan for CCTV cameras and a fence at the cemetery, the cameras were already vandalised. This was promised earlier this year when TygerBurger reported on the poor state and vandalism at the cemetery (“Vagrants take over in cemetery during lockdown”, 17 June). Several graves were then plundered, gravestones pushed over and showpieces of graves were laying around. Litter was laying all over and it was clear that vagrants were making fires in the cemetery. Many of the graves have been vandalised and gravestones are even being used as chairs by the vagrants. Zahid Badroodien, Mayco member for community service and health, then said proposals have been put forward in September 2019 already in a security plan to fence the perimeter of the cemetery. V To page 2