Members of the Gugulethu Development Forum (GDF) are appealing to the City of Cape Town to intervene and build a brick wall at the local cemetery to avoid the vandalism of the graves.

According to the GDF the site is deteriorating daily, with tombs damaged at will.  

GDF secretary Vincent Domingo says the Gugulethu Cemetery is under attack from criminals, a situation that needs urgent intervention. 

“What is happening at NY5 is really bad,” he said. “The criminals are stealing the palisade fence and tombstones. Some of the tombstones are vandalised, while others are destroyed.

“It is terrible what is happening there.” Domingo believes not having a fence, at the very least, plays a big part in the problem. He said the aim is to compel the City to build a brick wall and hire security officers to guard the cemetery.

Domingo says the forum won’t rest until the site is fenced. “People have no morals. They have lost ubuntu. The criminals are stealing tombstones. How can anyone do that?”

He pointed out that grave sites used to be respected places, but now one witnesses people walking between graves.

An additional challenge, says Domingo, is children playing football at the site owing to a lack of recreational facilities. 

He indicated a social media petition calling for a constructive and an effective addressing of the issue had begun, and which residents were urged to sign. 

“We urge concerned residents to sign the petition. People can visit our page Gugulethu Graveyard on Facebook and sign there. The last time I checked we had more than 900 signatures and were expecting more than 5 000. It’s more than a decade now that the cemetery has been neglected by the City.” 

  In a statement the City of Cape Town said it was aware of vandalisation of the fencing at Gugulethu Cemetery. It said vandalising City facilities, including theft of fencing, has become a daily occurrence throughout the metropole.

“This is costing departments millions of rands to replace or fix, only to get stolen again.

“The City is looking into the matter to find a sustainable solution.”

Members of the public are also encouraged to report cases of vandalism to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.

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