Joburg-based group called the Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries, is concerned about recent incidents of vandalism and damage of the ash walls at Braamfontein cemetery.

Sarah Welham, convener of the group of volunteers dedicated to cemetery restoration, said that on Saturday, July 27, they were told that vandals had started destroying walls at the cemetery.

“At least twelve plaques have been removed from four walls,” she said.

Welham said they told Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), the entity mandated by the City of Joburg to manage the city’s cemeteries, parks, and designated public open spaces, about the growing incidents of vandalism at the cemetery.

She said this appears to be a situation of negligence involving the security guards.

“Their security department visited the scene of the crime Monday, July 29, to gather facts. We await a statement from them.”

Welham said the wave of vandalism and destruction of the ash walls started early last year, in March, when the perpetrators pulled and smashed granite and marble plaques off the walls, causing caskets and ashes to spill onto the ground.

“In many cases, the plaques were so badly damaged that we were unable to repair them properly.”

She said that in 2018, the group volunteered to maintain the headstones and plaques in the heritage cemeteries of Johannesburg, both in Braamfontein and Brixton, with permission from JCPZ.

“When this destruction had worked its way through all the ash wall sites, the Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries moved in to document the details on each plaque and do what they could to work out which ash walls they belonged on.”

Welham said this required extensive hours spent recording and cross-referencing cremation registers, meticulously entering all details into an Excel spreadsheet to facilitate the return of plaques to their original locations.

“The walls themselves were, in some cases, damaged by the roots of trees that had sprouted in the wells of the walls, and had to be rebuilt.”

She said that they hired three builders to begin repairing the walls, a task that was supposed to be done by JCPZ.

“This happened in June 2023, three months after the vandalism began. With the exception of one month earlier this year when we ran out of funds to pay them, this team has worked five days a week restoring the area to one of dignity and respect,” she said.

She said that to this day, they have only a few walls left to repair, and all of this work has been funded by donations from the group.

“The donations come from families affected by the vandalism, concerned and caring citizens and groups from around the world who gave generously to our cause.”

Welham has urged Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo to improve the security of the cemetery in response to recent incidents of vandalism and damage to the ash walls.

IOL