Hamilton Baloyi buried his mother in the Nancefield cemetery in Musina in August of 2009. Like many other families who had buried their loved ones there since the eighties, Baloyi was always worried about the safety of their graves. This concern, however, has been addressed since the Musina Local Municipality kick-started the R8.5 million project to upgrade and develop the Nancefield cemetery.
Musina Mayor Nkhanedzeni Godfrey Mawela said the project came into being after community members shared their input on the municipality's integrated development plan (IDP). "We work on the mandate of the people and they requested that we add this project to develop the cemetery. The project includes the erection of a palisade fence around the cemetery, the development of access roads and parking spaces, sewer and water reticulation, and ablution facilities."
He said the project was expected to be completed at the end of October this year. "Besides securing our cemetery, the four-month project has also provided temporary work for 20 local community members who were previously unemployed. This will also help with skills transfer, so these workers might be able to create their own jobs after the project is completed."
He urged community members to take good care of the facility once they are done with the project. "Although we deploy security at most municipal properties, the public should develop a sense of ownership thereof. We urge the public to refrain from vandalising any property as it affects service delivery as well. The money that has to be used to repair vandalised properties can be used for something else for the benefit of the community," Mawela said.
Elisa Makwasha, whose elder sister was also buried at the Nancefield cemetery in 2020, said she was always worried about the safety of her sister's gravesite. "We are happy that the municipality has answered our prayers, because the place was becoming dangerous due to the fact that access was not controlled. Now that we will have only one entrance and a palisade fence, things will be better going forward."