TORRENTIAL RAINS: OVER 70 GRAVES SINKING IN MANZINI

MANZINI - About 72 graves at Manzini cemeteries are sinking and developing cracks due to the ongoing torrential rains.
These developments were confirmed by the Municipal Council of Manzini Spokesperson, Mathokoza Thwala, who said their recent assessments have revealed that a total of 72 graves require attention due to deterioration; a situation that is exacerbated by the ongoing torrential rains that is affecting the city of Manzini and many parts of the country. He said out of the 72 graves, 18 are in a critical state; with 13 located at Ngwane Park Cemetery and five at Manzini Golf Course Cemetery (old). “The 18 graves require immediate attention, while 54 others in both cemeteries have developed cracks and also require maintenance,” the municipality’s spokesperson said.

Concerning

In that regard, on behalf of the municipality, Thwala informed members of the public about the concerning state of graves at the city’s cemeteries; specifically at Ngwane Park and Manzini Golf Course. He said as a municipality, they have made efforts to reach out to relatives of the deceased, where contact numbers are available. However, he said it has proven challenging to locate relatives for some of the older graves as only postal addresses were recorded at the time of burial. Again, Thwala reminded members of the public that it is the responsibility of the relatives to regularly visit and maintain the graves of their loved ones at the cemeteries. He emphasised that the municipality does not maintain individual graves, but only removes vegetation overgrowth at the cemeteries.

Therefore, he said as a municipality, they encourage citizens not to wait for announcements from the council before they can attend to their loved ones’ graves. He said relatives are welcome to visit the cemeteries at any time. Furthermore, the municipality spokesperson urged families to ensure that they hire skilled professionals when constructing graves to ensure appropriate workmanship; thereby preventing potential collapse due to adverse weather conditions. After that, he said for those who may be unsure of the location of their loved one’s grave, as a municipality, they are available to assist. However, he said terms and conditions apply. Moreover, he said as a local authority, they appreciate citizens’ understanding and cooperation in maintaining the dignity of the city’s cemeteries. It is worth noting that this is not the first time the municipality discovered sinking graves at its cemeteries. Instead, such happens almost on an annual basis, in particular during the rainy season.

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