Tshwane cemeteries fall into neglect as space crisis grows

2026-03-19 - 03:40

The state and space of the graveyards in the City of Tshwane are of grave concern for residents who want to help restore the cemeteries for their deceased loved ones. Tshwane MMC for environment and agriculture management Obakeng Ramabodu said the city was exploring innovative and sustainable approaches to cemetery management in collaboration with religious institutions, traditional leadership and other stakeholders. Tshwane cemeteries face neglect, crime and space shortages Ramabodu hosted a multistakeholder meeting at Tshwane House to engage with various entities on alternative burial methods considered by the city, with approximately 6 000 burial spaces required annually. “The existing cemetery space is projected to last approximately 20 to 30 years. With the land becoming increasingly limited, the city is faced with a challenge to identify new burial sites, while we must do our best to upgrade existing ones,” he said. Ramabodu said the increasing pressure on burial space is due to fast population growth and limited space for cemetery development. Several geographic factors affected the suitability of land for burial purposes, Ramabodu said. “High groundwater tables make the development of land for a cemetery impossible. These environmental constraints further complicate the city’s ability to expand its burial infrastructure.” Clean-up initiative halted by city Tristan Kapp, public scholar and postdoctoral fellow at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape, said they have halted the clean-up initiative because the city didn’t want them to clean and fix graveyards. “We offered to do it with our own resources and money, but they still refused. Not only did they refuse to give us permission, they treated us like dirt and the application was fruitless.” Kapp said they only gave permission to remove weeds, prune trees and pick up litter. “There are many tombstones that have fallen over. It is people’s loved ones. They treated us like criminals who wanted to steal from the graveyard.” Ward 1 councillor Leon Kruyshaar said the city has now deployed its horticulture department to the Zandfontein Cemetery, following numerous videos exposing the failure of the ActionSA-led government to maintain basic services. Horticulture department deployed to Zandfontein Cemetery “Teams are on the ground cutting grass and pruning trees at the cemetery this week. “However, this intervention comes after long-standing issues were raised and ignored. Unattended water leaks in the cemetery remain unresolved, further contributing to the deterioration. “Criminal activity has escalated alarmingly. Visitors have been robbed and graves desecrated.”