Cemetery borehole wrecked by vandals
SETBACK: Borehole vandalised at the Vygiekraal Cemetery. Picture: Velani Ludidi
Vandals have destroyed one of the boreholes in Vygiekraal Cemetery in Athlone, setting back plans to create more burial space as the City graveyards are filling up.
Chairperson of the cemetery board Abdullah Salies says they found out on Sunday that one of the five boreholes was vandalised.
“This is setting us back on our plans to have more burial space because we need those boreholes so that we can comply with environmental regulation which will give us more burial space,” he explains.
He says if it was not for the security guards, all five boreholes would have been destroyed.
“The security saw what was happening and stopped them in their tracks. These are boreholes which we are installing (at our own expense) and are expensive.”
He says he does not want to point fingers, but asks whoever is behind the vandalism to stop.
“I do not want to say who is doing this, but they need to stop this as it is affecting everyone.
“Burial proceedings are not affected by the vandalism, but this has affected our plans.”
Earlier this year, flowers were being stolen from graves at the cemetery.
This started a fight between the community and homeless people who lived adjacent to the cemetery.
The makeshift structures of the homeless were later set on fire by unknown persons.
The City’s Zahid Badroodien said the cemetery is privately owned and the vandalism has no effect on public burial space.
“Johnston Road is a private cemetery and has no direct impact on the City’s planning for burial space.
“The City works closely with the Muslim Judicial Council and has been in ongoing discussions to ensure sufficient burial capacity at City cemeteries for Muslim burial.”