ROBERT SOBUKWE TOWN – The grave of anti-apartheid leader Robert Sobukwe has been vandalised yet again, with the latest incident marking what is believed to be at least the seventh act of desecration at the gravesite in Robert Sobukwe Town (formerly Graaff-Reinet).

In a statement released on 3 August, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) said concerned community members alerted the Sobukwe family and local political party leaders on the morning of 31 July, after discovering damage to the graves of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, his wife, Veronica, and the ashes of their son, Dinilesizwe.

The statement said reports indicated that vandals had dug into Sobukwe’s grave and attempted to reach his coffin and human remains.

“The evil of those who are responsible for the desecration of the gravesite is something out of this world,” the statement said.

“It is their shocking inhumanity and cruelty that makes us imagine them to be beastly and barbaric.”

The PAC said the graves had been desecrated “more than six times” before the latest incident.

The statement said commissioners from the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Commission visited the gravesite in mid-July after the Sobukwe family requested an investigation into the repeated acts of vandalism.

According to the PAC, the request followed damage to the graves shortly after the name change from Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town was gazetted in February this year.

The PAC said community leaders had initiated dialogue sessions at the Kroonvale Town Hall in an effort to ease tensions and foster cooperation among residents with differing views on the town’s renaming.

The PAC added that two community dialogues had already been held.

The party said it had also deployed senior and middle-ranking leaders to help mediate and promote calm during the government’s name-change process.

“The PAC joins the dots and associates the vandalism with attempts to intimidate the peace process and drive a wedge of anger to keep people apart,” the statement said.

The party said it believed the repeated destruction of the gravesite was a planned attempt to sabotage social cohesion and cooperation among communities in Robert Sobukwe Town.

As previously reported, the town was officially renamed from Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town after the change was gazetted by Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie on 6 February.

However, civil rights organisation AfriForum has challenged the decision in the High Court in Pretoria, arguing that the renaming process was procedurally flawed.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has confirmed that it intends to oppose the application, and the matter remains before the court.

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