The appalling state of cemeteries in the Buffalo City Metro has featured on the news pages of the Daily Dispatch and its sister publication, Go! & Express, for years now.
Residents approach the media with the hope that authorities will pay attention and act.
While cosmetic changes happen occasionally, the main problems persist.
Overgrown graveyards, desecration of tombstones, illegal dumping and lack of security at cemeteries are just some of the concerns frequently raised by communities.
The response to these concerns by the metro has been generic: “We are aware of it. We will be addressing it.”
It is the same response BCM’s communications team gave the Dispatch in August when questions were posed about the disgraceful state of the Cambridge crematorium chapel and wall of remembrance.
It is the same response BCM gave two weeks later when asked about shacks that had been built on graves in the neglected TB Lujiza cemetery in Duncan Village.
Being aware is one thing; acting on the issue is a whole other matter.
On Sunday, the metro’s failings in fixing cemeteries was featured on news programme Carte Blanche.
Executive mayor Princess Faku was asked if she was aware that burners had been off at the metro’s only crematorium.
She said she did not, and that it had not been published in the Dispatch because “they are the ones that contact us if there are such things”.
The response drew the ire of social media users, who questioned how the leader of a metro could admit to being unaware of a serious issue because she had not read about it in the newspaper.
The response drew the ire of social media users, who questioned how the leader of a metro could admit to being unaware of a serious issue because she had not read about it in the newspaper.
In fact, the Go! & Express in January reported that cremations were halted for nearly two weeks in December 2023 after the municipality reportedly failed to pay the gas supplier.
Bodies were then sent to a private crematorium in Despatch, 300km from BCM.
The municipality did not respond to questions sent by the Go! & Express at the time.
Holding those in power accountable is a bedrock of journalism; one we take seriously in our newsroom.
It is time that mayor Faku, BCM councillors and officials take their jobs of servicing the people of this metro seriously too.
While we will continue being a voice for marginalised communities, it will never be acceptable that problems are only taken seriously when they make headlines.
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