Security must be beefed up at cemeteries, says a Langa man who found the marble-and-granite tombstone on his mother's grave had been stolen along with several others.

Alfred Magwaca says his visit to the Maitland cemetery, on Thursday September 12, left him shocked when he discovered rampant desecration of graves there.

“I am horrified. Thieves or thugs who are stealing slabs off graves have no shame. People are not aware what it takes to install a tombstone. I guess these are people who are not aware how expensive it is to install marble slabs. We do not only install, we have to conduct some rituals. This is really devastating,” he said.

The slab over his mother's grave had been spirited away, leaving only the headstone, he said.

"I was shocked to see other graves without tops and some without the headstones. What I have experienced is bad. But I also blame the lack of security as one of the contributing factors.

“Criminals can see that the graves are abandoned. To remove that should be a big task and time consuming. But they have managed to do it. Again no one bothers to tell the families."

Mr Magwaca urged those with relatives buried in Maitland and other cemeteries to visit the graves to check their condition.

Mayoral committee member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross said Maitland was one of several cemeteries targeted by criminals.

Various forms of fencing had been stolen at the cemeteries, including Pinelands, Ottery, Muizenberg, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha, she said, adding that the City was now considering building concrete walls along the back boundary of Gugulethu cemetery.

“There have also been isolated incidents of theft involving memorial work and flowers. The City is prioritising fencing repairs at Maitland cemetery, amid budgetary constraints. To mitigate theft, we are painting the panels to make them more visible to road users and easier to identify if stolen. Unfortunately, there are monthly instances where vehicles damage the fencing, which leads to panels being stolen, often in parts rather than in their entirety,” she said.

Security guards were stationed at most City cemeteries, but they were large public grounds, and it was too costly to provide full-time security across all areas, she said.

She advised against visiting graves alone and carrying valuables. “If elderly individuals feel vulnerable, they are encouraged to contact the cemetery office during working hours to book an appointment for an escorted visit to the gravesite,” she said.

A cemetery worker helped Mr Magwaca to clean his mother’s desecrated grave.

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Cemetery thieves desecrating graves