A Pietermaritzburg woman, Hlengiwe Khumalo, 43, who works in Johannesburg, expressed shame and felt the state of Mountain Rise Cemetery was disrespectful to the deceased after visiting her father’s grave in July and December 2025.

In July, she travelled from Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg but could not reach the grave due to the heavy overgrowth. She contacted the mayor’s office via WhatsApp regarding her inability to reach the site during a solo visit. They replied, apologised, and promised to resolve the issue.

Khumalo, accompanied by her two uncles and brother, returned in December, anticipating the need for tools. Armed with garden spades to clear the path and clean the grave, she successfully reached the site with the help of the men.

“At times, you’re walking on graves because there is no path. You’re apologising to the deceased for walking on their graves,” Khumalo said. 

“When I got there, I said, ‘No way, we cannot live like this. We can’t be subjected to such indignity. Our departed can’t be subjected to such disrespect’.

“After we were done cleaning my father’s grave, I apologised to him. I promised to come back more often, to make more effort to make sure the place he is buried in, is clean.”

Khumalo recorded a video and sent it to the mayor’s office, illustrating the conditions she encountered during her visit to her father’s grave. She questioned why they neglected rate-paying residents. The office apologised and promised to resolve the issue.

She posted the video on social media. 

Khumalo spoke to a local lady before visiting the cemetery, who warned her not to go alone, as vagrants live there and it is unsafe. The lady explained that the Muslim community has cordoned off and maintains their section of the cemetery through their burial society, paying people for regular upkeep without any city involvement.

“I felt ashamed and embarrassed because it seems we are not taking care of our people,” Khumalo said regarding the state of the cemetery.

She suggested two possible courses of action. The community could either unite, like the Muslim community, to hire and pay people to maintain the cemetery, or they could exert pressure on the municipality to fulfil its obligations and do its job.

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Msunduzi Municipality acting spokesperson Anele Makhanya said the 67-hectare cemetery is currently managed with limited staff and resources. This has been further challenged by inclement weather conditions, which have impacted maintenance operations.

“To address these challenges, the intake of general workers will significantly strengthen cemetery staffing capacity and assist in clearing maintenance backlogs, particularly those exacerbated by adverse weather conditions,” Makhanya said. 

She said that during the mid-term budget review, an allocation within the capital budget has been identified to procure the necessary tools of trade, which have already been identified and piloted on site. 

“The estimated budget for this intervention is approximately R500,000 and this investment will enhance operational efficiency and service delivery at the cemetery,” Makhanya said. 

She said the municipality welcomed and acknowledged the initiative by the Muslim community to maintain certain sections of the cemetery, in accordance with their religious practices.

“This collaborative approach has proven effective at both Muslim cemeteries and serves as a positive example of how community partnerships can support municipal services,” Makhanya said. 

She said that while gates and guard houses were installed to enhance access control and safety at the cemetery, security services have been significantly curtailed due to budget reductions. Consequently, most security personnel have been withdrawn, leaving only one static security guard currently stationed on site.

“Once the new organisational structure is implemented, vacant posts for cemetery rangers will be filled, and rangers will be deployed across all cemeteries, with some operating on scrambler motorbikes to improve visibility, monitoring, and response times,” Makhanya said.

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za

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