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At this funeral, an elderly minister slipped into the grave (left arrow) and his Bible fell into the grave (right arrow). Fortunately, he was recued by family members. After the incident, the red carpet (bottom left) was moved away from the edge of the grave.The large heap of soil was too near the grave, making things difficult for the pall-bearers. Photo supplied.

Ministers speak out against poor condition of cemetery

Date: 06 November 2014 By: Linda van der Westhuizen

The Louis Trichardt ministers forum has collectively informed the Makhado Municipality of their concerns and disappointments concerning the maintenance of the local cemetery, as well as the way graves are dug.

“We are of the understanding that it is the municipality’s responsibility to maintain the graveyard properly and to ensure that the graves are dug correctly, and that this should be completed beforehand, so that a funeral can take place on time, with dignity and sensitivity towards those who have lost loved ones,” the clergy from different denominations write in a letter dated 28 October. Inconvenient incidents that have caused additional trauma for the family in mourning are listed in the letter.

Incidents have occurred where a minister had completed the funeral service in church and was only then informed that the grave had not been dug.

 “Graves are dug by the TLB backactor and there are times when it is unable to reach the place where a grave should be dug. The result is that some graves are dug crookedly and  sometimes too wide. This is very dangerous for the undertakers as their equipment is limited to the span of a standard grave and a different size makes the lowering of the coffin hazardous. On other occasions, graves were not wide enough at the base to accommodate the coffin. The coffin then had to be removed and members of the family had to get into the grave to widen the base themselves,” said the ministers. Another problem with utilizing a TLB was that it pushed over some gravestones and badly damaged others.

One bereaved family really had a rough deal. “After the funeral service, we had to stand around and wait for about an hour and a half for the grave to be dug. The grave was not dug properly and the coffin had to be forced in, thereby damaging the coffin. We did not want to risk taking the coffin out again in case of more damage,” said Ms Elsie Brand, who attended the funeral of her grandmother in June this year. But there was still another ordeal waiting for the family. “The backactor operator wanted to drive over some of the graves to fill up the grave. We protested and asked the municipal official to fetch some spades, after which the family did the filling up, with no help from the municipal officials,” Brand said.  

In another unfortunate incident at a funeral conducted in August, an elderly, retired minister was said to have slipped at the edge of the grave because of the awkward way that the grave had been dug. “Because he is a tall man, the family could grab him and rescue him as he was falling into the grave. His Bible fell into the grave that had been dug too wide and with a weird circle at the bottom end,” one of the family members, who did not wish to be identified, said.  

The ministers further said that the grave numbering at the cemetery was “chaotic” and, at times, graves could not be found because the numbers had been removed. Instances where the grass at the cemetery was uncut, have led to unnecessary trauma and embarrassment for mourning family members.

The ministers strongly insisted that the graveyard be properly maintained by the municipality and that a degree of respect for loved ones who had passed on be demonstrated. They were adamant that the municipality should use manual labour to dig the graves where it is not possible to do so properly with the TLB.

This week the Makhado Municipality offered their apologies. “We do apologise for what had happened ... And we are going to improve. We have appointed a full-time cemetery caretaker who will also see to it that all the graves are dug as per the required standard,” said municipal spokesperson Louis Bobodi by email.

 

 
 
 

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Linda van der Westhuizen

Linda van der Westhuizen has been with Zoutnet since 2001. She has a heart for God, people and their stories. Linda believes that every person is unique and has a special story to tell. It follows logically that human interest stories is her speciality. Linda finds working with people and their leaders in the economic, educational, spiritual and political arena very rewarding. “I have a special interest in what God is doing in our town, province and nation and what He wants us to become,” says Linda.

 
 

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