Be vigilant when visiting municipal cemetery

Date: 22 January 2016 By: Andries van Zyl

The safety of citizens visiting State-owned institutions once again came under the spotlight, following a spate of violent attacks on visitors to the Makhado municipal cemetery.

On 24 December last year, an elderly couple of Louis Trichardt got a nasty surprise when they were attacked, overpowered and robbed by two men while visiting the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of their grandchild and parents. Both Mr George Fogwell (75) and his wife Ann (70) had to be treated for several stab wounds sustained during the attack. The Makhado police also confirmed a similar attack on a resident at the cemetery in November last year. In both attacks, the two male attackers gained entry to the cemetery through the dilapidated concrete fence around it. The cemetery also boasts a fairly newly built guard house, but what is worrying is that no security guard was to be found on the day of the attack on the Fogwells.

In response to a media enquiry regarding the safety of people visiting the municipal cemetery, the Makhado Municipality’s director of corporate services, Mr Christopher Kharidzha,  stated last week that they were not aware of the attacks, although they were aware of the dilapidated state of the fence. “We are in the process of repairing the damaged fence,” Kharidzha said.

Both the town and Tshikota's cemeteries were fenced off at a cost of R2 million during the 2009/10 financial year. During the same year, the guard house was built. As to why no security guard was on duty on the day of the attack on the Fogwells, Kharidzha explained that no security guard was on duty during weekdays. “…but municipal employees are deployed from 07:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Friday,” Kharidzha said, adding that on 24 and 31 December their employees had departed at 12:00. The attack on the Fogwells occurred around 17:00.

Asked what the purpose of the guard house was if no security guard was placed at the cemetery, Kharidzha explained that a security guard was only stationed at the cemetery on weekends from 06:00 until 18:00 to ensure the public’s safety. “The guard house was built for that,” Kharidzha said.

While police are investigating the attacks and amidst the municipality’s process of repairing the damaged fence, Kharidzha urged residents to be vigilant when visiting the cemetery. “Members of the public who wish to visit the cemetery should notify the cemetery caretaker through the office of the municipal manager before their visit,” Kharidzha asked.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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