Protest at plans for old grave site
ANGER: Protesters at St Georges' ANGER: Protesters at St Georges'
About 50 protesters holding placards stood on the steps of the cathedral in Cape Town before Sunday morning service, hoping the parishioners would hear their pleas.
The property, next to Garlandale High School on the M5, had been donated to the church, and on the authority of the church, the remains of the dead are being moved.
For the past week, members of the First Nation have held meetings and have been protesting at the site, begging the church to stop the destruction of this heritage site.
Chief Basil Coetzee called on the church to stop the excavation.
“They say they cannot afford the upkeep of the grounds as a cemetery. They have neglected a heritage site and we want them to stop what they are doing,” he says.
“On Wednesday we watched as common labourers dug up and threw the bones of our ancestors into big plastic containers. [There is] no respect for us and absolutely none for our dead.”
He says the remains have been moved to the Constantiaberg Mortuary where it will be cremated and a plaque will be erected with a list of the 2500 names.
This will be placed at the Athlone congregation.
The Anglican Diocese of Cape Town had held a deconsecration ceremony for a 150-year-old cemetery in Athlone in April, in order to exhume the remains to make way for future developments.
This site was used as a cemetery between 1860 and 1950. The last burial at the site took place in 1952.
Bishop Garth Counsell did not respond to queries made by the Daily Voice.