The Braamfontein Cemetery has seen bouts of vandalism to its Ash Wall and graves, and whilst volunteers work day and night to rebuild these people’s memories, there is no end in sight.
Saying goodbye to a loved one is already the hardest thing a person can do. But, laying a person to rest in peace and then seeing their tombstone smashed into pieces must feel like losing them twice. Or, placing a loved one’s urn behind an engraved plaque only to find their name in pieces with their ashes missing, surely cracks the heart wide open once again.
This is the reality for many families with loved ones buried at the Braamfontein Cemetery, as vandalism to its Ash Wall and graveyard began in March 2023. Since then, small groups of vandals continue to trash the cemetery to this day, almost a year and a half later.
Empty bottles, rubbish, and cigarette butts are amongst the rubbish left in-between the Ash Wall. Photo: Victoria Hill
Grave tombstones are vandalised beyond repair, with one such statue having its head brutally chopped off. Photo: Victoria Hill
Graves of reverends were smashed to pieces, vandalised, or disturbed in some other way. Photo: Victoria Hill
Plaques have been removed or smashed so that the writing is illegible on the Ash Wall. Photo: Victoria Hill
The lack of upkeep at the cemetery shows when dead flowers are not removed from gravesides. Photo: Victoria Hill
Rubble piled up against the Ash Wall creates a big eye-sore. Photo: Victoria Hill
A man can be seen entering the cemetery from the road due to lack of perimeter fencing. Photo: Victoria Hill
An ominous hut peaks out from the back of the graveyard, directly opposite the abandoned Braamfontein Station building. Photo: Victoria Hill
It is not clear why people who vandalise specifically target the Ash Wall, but Mike Nyathi, a security guard at Braamfontein Cemetery, speculates that the vandals most probably steal human ashes to mix with other drugs that they then smoke. Nyathi also mentioned how thieves smash into the Ash Wall, as family members will sometimes leave prize-possessions with their loved ones in their place of rest, which vandals then pawn for money.
Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries (FOJC), a non-profit organisation and a group under the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation, have been leading the restoration project of the vandalised Ash Wall at Braamfontein Cemetery. They depend entirely on donations to fund their projects.
Sarah Welham, convenor of FOJC, says the project is costly and time-consuming: “We spend R5000 a week on builders’ wages and at one point when we had [three] builders, we were paying out R7500 a week.”
Whilst the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo have “supplied us with much of the building material we needed, as well as 130 blank granite plaques,” Welham says, “we have had several appeals to the public for donations when required. Many people living overseas have donated very generously.”
To date, Welham estimates 6 000 niches and plaques have been repaired by FOJC, and the process isn’t a quick one. The longest and hardest part involves matching each name to the correct niche number and ensuring the correct ashes are placed behind the plaques. Only then can the plaque be engraved and reattached to the wall which is, in itself, another extensive process.
The reoccurring act of the vandalism to Braamfontein Cemetery is largely unexplained, yet Welham and Nyathi agree it is due to poor security. The security company preceding Cognizant Security Solutions were not “patrolling and spending time in the Ash Wall section of the cemetery to act as a deterrent to vandals”, says Welham.
Nyathi warned this Wits Vuvuzela journalistto not venture past a certain point due to a breach in the back boundary wall of the cemetery. Across the road is the old Braamfontein Station building which has seemingly been hijacked and inhabited by people who enter the premises for various reasons. Repairing this fence would “cost millions and the City of Johannesburg does not have the budget for that”, says Welham.
Azola Manjati, Manager for the Braamfontein and Brixton Cemeteries, told Wits Vuvuzela “this financial year, there is a budget allocated to repair the fence”, so things are looking up.
Nyathi said that when a funeral or cremation is in session, all security personnel remain in that vicinity to watch over the procession and vehicles, leaving the cemetery largely unguarded.
Nevertheless, after a great deal of work, FOJC organised a tour of the repaired Ash Wall in hopes of raising awareness to the issue of vandalism at Braamfontein Cemetery and showcase their hard work to family and friends. However, just days before the tour was meant to take place, the wall was once again struck down. Welham reports only 14 plaques were destroyed — this time.
The FOJC got back to work repairing the wall yet again, because they have undertaken the task to “restore the area to one of peace and dignity”. Welham further says “many of the families have moved away from Johannesburg and have been distraught that they were unable to deal with this problem themselves”.
However, after many cycles of repairing the Ash Wall just to have it vandalised again, the FOJC is staring into a dim future. They cannot continue to raise “thousands and thousands of rands to do the repairs” as “there is only so much the public is prepared to donate”. The next large-scale vandalism to the Ash Wall will have to go unrepaired, which is a harsh but necessary truth.
Besides the vandalism, Braamfontein Cemetery is quite rundown and unkept, with grass overgrown in much of the old area. With graves dating back to the 1800s, the cemetery is a historical place of rest for many souls.
However, rubbish from trespassers and vandals scatter the once serene grounds, causing the graves of many individuals to be covered in empty alcohol bottles, plastic bags, rubble, cigarette butts, and much more.
Manjati says Johannesburg City Parks are currently “supporting the Friends group and are working towards formalising [their] partnership” for the future, as they have the common goal to respect those that have passed and their families.
The desecration of graves and ashes is a sensitive social issue but is one that needs to be addressed before the saying “rest in peace” loses its meaning altogether.
FEATURED IMAGE: Plaques from the Ash Wall section of the cemetery have been ripped off their niches and smashed to pieces, with the ashes removed from the place-keeper altogether. Photo: Victoria Hill
The Joburg Theatre was packed, as Mpho Sebeng’s life was celebrated by family, friends, and industry peers.
The Joburg Theatre was the last stage Sebeng performed on, and it became the place where his life would be reflected upon and honoured at his memorial service on Thursday, May 9.
On May 5, 2024 Sebeng was involved in a fatal accident at Potchefstroom in the North West Province.
Sebeng’s acting career started at the age of 12 in a primary school play. He achieved full colours for Drama at only 17-years-old and his first television debuts were on “Justice for all” and “Zero Tolerance” which both won multiple awards.
Faces from the entertainment industry including Rosemary Zimu, Thato Dithebe, Mandisa Jakavula, and others were in attendance. Sebeng’s high school mates, teachers, and friends in the industry shared fond memories.
“His power and purpose sat in his ability to speak life into every single one of us,” said Reabetswe Tsobane, a friend from high school.
“You could’ve met Mpho for two minutes and you would have left with something,” Tsobane added.
Sebeng was not known as one to hold grudges. Conversations would often be defused with funny dance moves he would make to lighten up the mood.
His recent nickname “Luse” was based on a lesson his former high school mate learnt from him, “to let go of grudges, anger and pain, and to love loosely”.
Sebeng was described as a deeply compassionate gentleman who always put the interests of others before his own. In his matric year 2011, Sebeng came up with a song to help other learners understand and memorise the quadratic mathematics formula.
He was a serious actor that respected his craft. As a television actor, his debut stage performance at the Joburg Theatre was described as marvellous.
He tackled challenging roles, portraying Johnny in Athol Fugard’s “Nongogo” and performing in Shakespeare’s “Othello.” His portrayal was described to be one of excellence, as he skilfully navigated the psychological intricacies of both characters.
Mzwakhe Mbuli, also known as Robot Boii, shared a quote Sebeng shared with them: “Stay in school; God is good. Love your mama, respect your parents and be kind.”
As many share screenshots of their last conversation with Sebeng, one thing is common, he was never afraid to tell people that he loved them. Sebeng was laid to rest at Westpark Cemetary in Roodepoort on Saturday, May 11.
FEATURED IMAGE: People gathered to celebrate Mpho Sebeng’s Life ay the Joburg Theatre on May 9, 2024. Photo: Ofentse Tladi
The closure of borders and implementation of lockdown regulations to combat covid-19 in South Africa have had consequences for the wellbeing of foreign nationals, many of whomwrestled with the separation of their families and uncertainty over their migration status.
During level 2 -5 lockdown, Home Affairs offices across South Africa only operated for limited services, making it difficult for foreign nationals to apply for the necessary documentation to remain in the country. Photo: Zinhle Belle
Asuitcase packed for England seven months previously obstructs the walkway as it occupies twothirds of the entrance to the Umeala household.
Its owner, Chioma Umeala (23), has no intention of unpacking her baggage. Her family do not question when she will remove it, despite it causing mild chest congestion, as it packs dust.
What you can still smell when you approach it, is the cologne of her father, who had helped her carry the bag down the stairs.
A father’s final send-off, disrupted by the travel ban
Unlike other students, Umeala’s decision to suspend her academic year abroad was not influenced by the outbreak of covid-19, but induced by her father’s deteriorating health.
Samuel ‘Sonny’ Umeala (61), a Nigerian–born architect who had lived in South Africa for more than 25 years, lost his battle with an illness on Father’s Day, June 21, in his home in Johannesburg during level–three lockdown.
Like many, the spread of covid-19 had scared Baba Umeala. Thus, his avoidance of a hospital to evade contracting the virus proved as deadly, as he did not receive due treatment for the illness he was fighting.
The father’s day present anticipated for Baba Umeala has been placed next to a portrait of his family as a tribute to him after his death on June 21. Photo: Zinhle Belle.
For his last Father’s Day, his four girls and last-born son created collages and cards to honour him. Tragedy apprehended their family in the early hours of Sunday morning, however, as condolence messages poured in for the loss of their father.
The reality the Umealas now faced included the logistical weight of planning a funeral under lockdown, which could accommodate their transnational identity.
A home usually filled with the posture of a father guiding his family, transitioned overnight into a battlefield where two nationalities would butt heads for the legitimacy of funeral practices.
In Nigerian culture, a person is meant to be buried in the land where they originated. As a result, his family in Nigeria expected his body to be sent home, for themto carry out the related customs.
Chioma Umeala explains that a burial in Nigeria can take up to six months to plan, as it is described as “the biggest event of a person’s life”.
Putting pressure on their father’s funeral was the policy of procedures for burial under lockdown, which stated that a mortuary may not keep a body for longer than 10 days from the date of death.
Another hurdle they faced during level–three lockdown was the travel ban, which had only been relaxed for the mild commencement of interprovincial travel for business purposes.
Funeral arrangements were impossible to deploy not only due to the limited travel methods, but also by the inflated price of flights caused by the pandemic’s meltdown of the economy.
This meant Baba Umeala’s Nigerian family were not able to come to South Africa to bury their relative.
The family wereburdenednot only with the emotional trauma of this significant loss, but also the moral considerations of the possible customary consequences for not carrying out certain traditions accordingly. Umeala said, “With my father, knowing his culture, he knew that Nigeria is where he would have ended up.”
The situation resulted in major conflict and anger between the two sides of the family as the borders seemed to become a physical barrier that solidified their detachment.
“This was the hardest part of burying my father, as we knew we had an obligation to send him back, but as a family who grew up in South Africa, we could only carry out the customs we were familiar with, that would give us the best closure,” said Umeala.
Three months after his death, the ban has now been lifted, which has triggered disagreement and resentment as his Nigerian family seek the same closureafforded his immediate family.
Similar circumstances followed for foreign nationals who saw themselves experiencing family displacement caused by the travel ban.
The separation of families across borders
AlouiseMatekenya (51) sits in an empty office, still set with work-from-home regulations. He positions himself at his desk, eyes glued to a calendar indicating the arrival of October, which to him can only represent the seventh month of the lockdown. What occupies his mind is when he will be reunited with his wife and children, who he has not seen since December 2019.
Many foreign nationals like him, with employment in South Africa, faced insecurity of their mobility as movement across borders was restricted. Regulations such as the travel ban were initiated from March 18, in preparation for the lockdown strategy known as the National State of Disaster Management Act.
Separated by only a border, the wife of Alouise, MaMatekenya, remained in Zimbabwe, where she ran their business. The two parents used their phones to regularly negotiate their parenting plan, as she took guard of their twin boys,who attend school in Zimbabwe.
During this period, Matekenya navigated involuntary single parenthood in South Africa as he became the primary caregiver for his three other children, who remained with him.
“It was very difficult to manage the kids on my own. They were used to their mother coming periodically to check on them as well. Making the kids stay in the house was the most difficult thing to do,’’ said Matekenya.
Outside of the emotional and socio-economic deprivation caused by the lockdown, Matekenya expressed how the risk of poor health was a lingering thought during the pandemic.
his association with the virus was set to its “worst possible outcome being death”
Like others, Matekenya experienced the dread of contracting the disease. During this week of level–two lockdown, infections in South Africa had reached a stark 650 000 cases, with deaths sitting at 15 500. After witnessing the decline of a colleague’s condition, it alarmed Matekenya to know that of the 495 deaths recorded that week, one was that of his colleague.
From this point onwards, Matekenya said, his association with the virus was set to its “worst possible outcome being death”.
Without direct access to his wife for support, a petrified Matekenya described himself as “the most vulnerable member of the family this side”, as he entered self-isolation.
Due to the level of responsibility on his shoulders to care and provide for his family, he had to put on a brave face for his children, while attempting to suppress thoughts of what would happen without his presence, or inability to stand in good health.
To him, his three children in South Africa, all under the age of 12, bore the risk of vulnerability, if left alone in an environment where separation for “health and safety were the government’s first priority.”
Throughout the global lockdown, countries have offered repatriation flights to people who wish to return to their country. To some people, this gesture served as an outlet to reunite families. However, such flights to South Africa were exclusive to citizens and those with residency, thus limiting the ability of those with working or tourist visas to return to the country.
The implementation of the travel ban on March 18, as one of the first lockdown policies in South Africa restricted non-citizen and residential travel into and out of the country as a means to control the spread of covid-19. Photo: Zinhle Belle.
During the scramble of countries closing their borders to manage the spread of the novel virus, many expatriates had to make the decision of remaining in the area they were in or returning home.
In South Africa, decisions for migrants to remain were factored on “considering South Africa as their home,others felt the covid-19 pandemic was global and could be contracted anywhere, while some indicated that they feared they’d be unable to re-enter South Africa,” according to the “Social impact of COVID-19” research conducted by Stats SA on July 27.
Speaking to the Cape Argus newspaper, the dean of socialscience at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Vivian BesemOjong said, “The primary response [by the government] is to usually focus on its citizens, and when the borders closed governments mainly put focus on their own residents.”
The ramifications of lockdown policies, aimed at guarding the wellbeing of citizens, create a window of vulnerability for foreign nationals as they are not identified as beneficiaries of that protection. Consequently, they must submit to policies that do not safeguard their welfare.
Yet in instances where one returned home, like MaMatekenya, the only option was to sit steadily in Zimbabwe for months, without clarity on when she would be reunited with her family. What was initially estimated as a 21-day lockdown in South Africa has extended past seven months, with no clear endpoint.
“Like any other person, she felt cut off from the physical family union for a very long time. Naturally, her freedom of movement to see family was prohibited,” said Matekenya.
With the financial instability caused by the pandemic, Matekenyasaid the earliest arrangement for his wife to visit, with the reopening of borders, has been made for November 2020 – a year after their separation.
Not only did lockdown policy affect movement, but it also had an impact on the renewal of visas and residency applications, which foreign nationals rely on to maintain legitimacy in South Africa.
The limited services offered by home affairs caused uncertainty for foreign nationals
Connor Sim (24), a Scottish citizen working as a private wealth banker in Cape Town, returned to Scotland in February 2020, due to a change of employment in South Africathat required a visa renewal.
In his statement on “Measures to combat the covid-19 epidemic” on March 15, President Ramaphosa announced a travel ban on foreign nationals from high-risk countries, effective from March 18. On that list was the United Kingdom.
As a result, Sim was prevented from returning to South Africa. Such measures by the government did not make exceptions for foreign nationals who had affairs in the country.
When the lockdown came into operation on March 23, the Department of Home Affairs announced it would be offering limited essential services, restricted to the issuing of “temporary IDs, birth and death certificates”.
This caused distress for foreign nationals who remained in the country past the expiry date of their permits or visas, as they risk being labelled as “undesirable people”.
Section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002, as amended by Act 13 of 2011, states the consequences of overstaying in South Africa asdeportation and a ban for a period of five years or more.
Permit holders whose documents expired no earlier than February 2020 were granted validity until an amended date, which has been extended to January 31, 2021.
Foreign Nationals with visas that expired during the South African lockdown are permitted to remain in the country until January 31, 2021, under the ‘extension of visa’ measures issued by the Department of Home Affairs. Photo: Zinhle Belle.
This grace afforded them bears the emotional stigma carried by undocumented foreign nationals as they often face discrimination from citizens and intimidation by the police.
“The Bill of Rights was not suspended by the initiation of the Disaster Management Act, however, there was a lack of consideration on the means of survival for foreign nationals”
“South Africa’s Immigration and Refugee Act is inclusive and progressive but there is no political will to ensure that there is the equal implementation of the law,” said Sharon Ekambaram, Head of Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme at Lawyers for Human Rights, Johannesburg.
“The Bill of Rights was not suspended by the initiation of the Disaster Management Act, however, there was a lack of consideration on the means of survival for foreign nationals,” said Ekambaram.
With the closure of embassies, foreign nationals had limited avenues to enquire about the terms of their stay or requests for aid from South Africa.
Sim described the preliminary period of lockdown as “walking through the unknown.”As he fought to withhold adjusting to the possibility of relocating back to Scotland. This deliberation was caused by the growing uncertainty of when he would return to South Africa.
Speaking on the lack of resources for foreign nationals to remain informed, Ekambaram said, “there was no effort for the government to share these messages on a community level.”
A clueless Sim, desperate for information on when travel would open, grew tired of typing variations of the same question, on his laptop, one of the few possessions, which he had not left in South Africa.
His rigorous efforts were not met with the same urgency as President Ramaphosa would only give South Africa updates every three to four weeks.
“Around June, July [three months into lockdown], the thoughts started creeping in, I struggled to visualise my future in South Africa and felt like I had little possibility of returning to South Africa,” said Sim.
The upliftment of the international travel ban, in October, under lockdown level one permitted Sim to return to South Africa to resume his employment.
However, the future of many other migrants in the country remains ambiguous as they camp outside an open Home Affairs department waiting for their visas to be processed.
Although the initiation of lockdown level one has facilitated a form of normality with the relaxation of policies, for many foreign nationals a constant negotiation of their agency was the fight they endured for remaining in a foreign country during the lockdown.
FEATURED IMAGE: The Alexandra Home Affairs office remains crowded since its resumption of full services at the beginning of level one lockdown on October 1, as people have been inquiring about the status of their documents. Photo: Zinhle Belle.
On the 5th of December 2013 the father of our nation, Nelson Mandela, died at his home. When the world heard – they mourned. And in South Africa for ten days his body was kept preserved so we could say our goodbyes to his remains in person until he was buried on December 15.
This week’s episode of the weekly The Science Inside show looks at how science influenced the 10 day stretch that every South African will remember – first, what is the psychology of human grief, then how have our burial practices evolved since mummification and what is the chemistry behind keeping a body preserved for ten days in the South African summer heat?
Listen to the full podcast here to gain a deeper understanding into what those ten days signified in a uniquely South African context.
A 26 year old man collapsed and died on campus two weeks ago.
The young man was part of a group who were visiting the Wits main campus on a Saturday morning apparently to participate in training for Parkour. During a break, the man collapsed between the John Moffat building and the student club BAQT.
The young man, whose name has not been released, complained that he felt light headed before he collapsed, according to witnesses.
Emergency personnel respond to the collapse of a young man on Wits Main campus. Photo: Thikolwi Segudu
The president of BAQT Thikolwi Segudu called Campus Control to the scene.
Campus Control dispute response time
Segudu said “Campus Control took 45 minutes to respond and they were more concerned with my student number, than anything else.”
Michael Mahada, head of special investigations at Campus Control has disputed these claims, saying that they are “untrue”.
“Campus Control reported to the scene, the minute they were notified of the incident”, said Mahada
According to Mahada, Campus Control arrived on the scene and called an ambulance “which arrived within ten minutes” but by then the young man had already passed on.
Segudu however claims that Campus Control didn’t do anything when they arrived on the scene, prompting him to call for an ER ambulance and Parklane Hospital itself.
When a student dies on campus, Campus Control is to required assess the situation and then contact the relevant parties. In this case, Campus Control contacted the “emergency services, SAPS and the deceased’s family”, said Mahada.
The university has been in contact with the family of the deceased over the weekend, according to Segudu. The cause of death was given as “natural causes,” believed to be a blood clot that went to his lung.
Societal expectations and experiences can often place pressure on people’s relationships. With Valentine’s Day coming up we have asked individuals questions about their views on certain relationship dynamics especially when it comes to the most anticipated day of the year for some lovers, Valentines Day. Viewers shared their beliefs and Siyanda and Katlego talk about […]
