Disgruntled residents have taken to social media to voice their concerns about the state of the cemeteries in the Msunduzi Municipality.
During the municipality’s mid-term budget review for 2025 and 2026, an allocation within the capital budget has been identified to procure the necessary tools of trade, amounting to approximately R500,000.
Complaints have surfaced about the unkempt state of the Mountain Rise Cemetery. Images taken by a member of the public, Peter Dye, showed long grass surrounding grave sites and tombs on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
In response to the cemetery situation, the Msunduzi Municipality explained that the Mountain Rise Cemetery spans approximately 67 hectares and is currently managed with limited staff and resources.
The municipality stated that the situation has been further challenged by inclement weather conditions, which have impacted maintenance operations.
Msunduzi’s spokesperson Anele Makhanya, said that to address these challenges, the intake of general workers will significantly strengthen cemetery staffing capacity and assist in clearing maintenance backlogs, particularly those exacerbated by adverse weather conditions.
“The necessary tools of trade have already been identified and piloted on site. The estimated budget for this intervention is approximately R500,000. This investment will enhance operational efficiency and service delivery at the cemetery,” Makhanya said.
The municipality also acknowledges and welcomes the initiative taken by the Muslim community in maintaining sections of the cemetery in line with their religious practices.
“This collaborative approach has proven effective at both Muslim cemeteries and serves as a positive example of how community partnerships can support municipal services,” she said.
Makhanya added that to improve access control and safety, gates and guard houses were installed at the cemetery. However, due to budget reductions affecting security services, most security personnel were withdrawn, leaving only one static security guard on site.
“Once the new organisational structure is implemented, vacant posts for cemetery rangers will be filled, and rangers will be deployed across all cemeteries, with some operating on scrambler motorbikes to improve visibility, monitoring, and response times,” she said.
The municipality stated that it will improve the management, safety, and dignity of all cemeteries through targeted resource allocation, improved staffing, and strengthened partnerships with communities.
Anthony Waldhausen, the CEO at Msunduzi Association of Residents Ratepayers and Civics (MARRC), said this has been an ongoing challenge for many years, and it affects all cemeteries in Pietermaritzburg.
“It boils down to poor governance management on the side and a no-care attitude by the municipality. The Parks and Recreation Department is not doing a good job of maintenance at all cemeteries. Our municipality is operating on crisis management at the moment, and there is no clear direction, and poor management,” he said.
Waldhausen believes that the municipality should outsource the maintenance of cemeteries to the residents and pay them for this work.
He added that by doin this, at least the cemeteries will be better maintained.
Dye had highlighted the issue on MARRC’s Facebook page, sayinghis parents gravesite was covered with overgrown grass.
Dye said: “This is how the Munsunduzi Municipality ‘thinks’ about this Cemetery in Pmb.! Absolutely disgusting of this Munsunduzi municipality.”
Kaylene Goosen said: “I have shared many photos of the state of this cemetery. It breaks my heart as my late dad was an avid gardener. have approached the office, but the staff act dumb, refusing to answer me or they go into the back offices. Yet there are music shows and other grandstanding events that happen, despite the city and its infrastructure crumbling.”
Ma-Ice Mtshatsha described the Ethembeni Cemetery in Pietermaritzburg as a bush, saying: “Msunduzi Municipality – City of Choice we acknowledge your enthusiasm and attempts to fix our city but you are only doing what is visible to the public and behind closed doors you are neglecting what we hold dear to our hearts, this is Ethembeni Cemetery and we as a family went to see our loved one and we couldn’t even get through to the grave.
“The cemetery is basically a bush and especially these times where families were down to see their late family members to find that is totally unacceptable.”
