A group of concerned residents in the east of Pretoria has launched a community elevation program, an initiative for the restoration and rehabilitation of the Pretoria East Cemetery on Matt Street.
The rehabilitation was initiated by the subway and demanded the cooperation of the community to contain illegal dumping on the East Cemetery.
The cemetery is neglected with overgrown grass, garbage, illegal dumping and growing security concerns, whereby the families are used.
“We buried friends and relatives at the Pretoria East Cemetery. Every time we visited, we saw overgrown grass, weeds, garbage and serious security concerns. It is heartbreaking to see a place that falls in neglect for memories and peace,” said Dana Ashoori, one of the organizers.
Ashoori explained that this personal connection inspired her to take measures and to restore the dignity of the location.
“We believe that cemeteries are important cultural heritage that earn care and respect,” she added.
“There is currently no border wall between the cemetery and the nearby informal settlement, which means that everyone can enter or go freely,” said Ashoori.
The group's short -term goals include improving security measures, organizing cleaning up, removing garbage, trimming the vegetation, laying new grass in bare areas and maintaining the toilets.
The long -term vision is to build a safe border wall, regularly create maintenance, to improve signage and finally build a chapel in which families can hold memory services.
At the moment, only two members actively drive the project and appeal to the broader community to get involved.
“Support can be present in many shapes, e.g. tools and devices such as rakes, gloves, garbage bags or mower. We also need help with the transport of dirt, building materials for the wall and the chapel or simply voluntarily clean up. Even awareness of our cause is a long way,” said Asori.
The subway said that the community's cooperation was crucial for the protection of dignity of graves.
It called for the residents to get involved, as this will help to deter crime.
The municipality previously spoke concerns about the lack of maintenance and maintenance in the cemetery in the Matt Street in Pretorius Park.
According to Lindela Mashigo, spokeswoman for the Metro, the municipality emphasized the deposit of waste and building materials in cemeteries and described the action as “really uncomfortable and unpleasant”.
“The dumping material in an area that is supposed to offer a worthy, permanent resting facilities is a retirement act that affects the call of the cemetery,” said Mashigo.
He said that society and organizations had to work with the U -Bahn to combat this crime.
“The requirements and expectations of the city increase daily, while the ability and wishes of the residents are reduced. Community members cannot have these expectations if there is no willingness to identify these parties.”
Mashigo added that the residents can play a key role in treating the problem by reporting illegal dumping as soon as it happens.
“The usual statute of the city on illegal dumping is applicable, but to catch people is indeed the greatest challenge. We appeal to the community, pictures or video evidence of illegal dumping so that the city can react to implementable intelligence,” he said.
He emphasized that permanent solutions depend on the cooperation between civil servants and the community.
“People who fall off are part of the community, and the community knows each other. We have to work together and help ourselves to identify the perpetrators,” he said.
While the U -Bahn has a planned cleaning program that runs two to three times a year, Mashigo confirmed that the resources had to be rejected to cope with the latest dumping incident outside of this cycle.
He said security was still a challenge due to limited resources, but the discussions with the TMPD are to increase the patrols and to expand the use of CCTV cameras in the coming weeks.
Anyone who wants to contribute to the restoration of the Pretoria East Cemetery can contact 082 853 8472 or Dana Ashoori at 082 342 8233.
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