MTHATHA – The Director for Community Services at King Sabatha Dalindyebo Local Municipality, Fundisile Guleni, confirmed that they hosted a cleaning campaign at Mbuqe Cemetery in Mthatha with the aim of showing respect to those who rest there and to keep the environment around this space clean.
He said his department is dealing with two divisions: Solid Waste and Environmental Quality Management (EQM), which includes the cemetery section, so, as the management of this department, they decided to show respect for the Mbuqe graveyard by hosting a cleaning campaign.
“Our intention is to be closer to the families who have grave sites here. That is why we tried to contact them through ward councillors and those who use this grave site, even if they are not from this area, such as Ward 7. What we want to do is to keep this area clean and well-maintained, as we normally do. People who used to come here will remember that it was like a forest before. It is through the maintenance programme that we now see the difference,” said Guleni.
He said they want to go further by not only cleaning the area but also beautifying it through greening programmes.
Guleni added that they will take some trees from their nursery and plant them there to create hedges.
He confirmed that they will remove trees that are not suitable for the graveyard and plant trees that will help maintain the cleanliness and beauty of the area. According to him, they will continue with this programme not only in Khwezi but also in Northcrest and Mqanduli.
“Our intention is to connect the living and the dead because we want people to see the importance of the cemetery space and its environment, to the point where it feels like a tourist attraction. We have done research and found that in other areas, graveyard spaces can be converted into attractive spaces. This also attracts tourists, allowing them to see that the resting places of those who are buried here are well cared for.”
Guleni said they would not do this alone and have called on families to participate. According to him, they were pleased that some family members attended the clean-up campaign.
He said families were able to voice their views and provide their own input. He added that while the municipality is responsible for maintaining the passages between the graves, it is the duty of families to maintain the areas inside their grave sites, and any work done there should be with the families’ consent.
“We appeal to families to continue visiting their loved ones who are buried here, as some tombstones fell during the recent disaster. They must always come and check whether everything is still in order. We have also noticed that some tombs have developed holes. It is the responsibility of the families to address those issues. Our responsibility as the municipality is to ensure that this site is secure. That is why we have tight security at the gate. You cannot just enter anyhow. We have improved our security system to prevent vandalism.”
Guleni said that damage caused by natural factors is the responsibility of families, who must repair and maintain the tombs.
He further explained that they have noticed that the manual administration system for the graveyard is no longer sufficient, especially for families searching for their relatives’ graves.
He added that they assist families by checking records and archives when trying to locate graves.
He confirmed that they have introduced an electronic cemetery management system. This system allows officials to enter information digitally, making it easier to assist families in tracing graves.
“It is not easy to trace old graves because some are no longer visible. In some cases, our personnel are new and have no memory of past burials. Even if there were staff members who were present before, families are the ones who usually have information that can help us. This will make it easier to assist those who are searching for their loved ones.”
