Keetmanshoop
The dead at Tseiblaagte cemetery must be resting in pieces and not in peace, as their resting place has been turned into a dumping area by some residents.
Beer bottles, tins, nappies, plastics, rubble and other rubbish pile up at the main entrance of the cemetery and day by day the pile gets bigger and bigger almost covering old graves without tombstones. On close inspection by this reporter, it is evident the cemetery has become a sort of a “leave it all here place”, as human faeces could also be seen and a dead dog wrapped in a black plastic has also recently been dumped there.
Illegal dumping has been a constant problem at the cemetery despite two signs placed on either end indicating that anyone caught dumping their rubbish illegally will be fined in excess of N$2 000. A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, narrated that the illegal dumping has been going on for sometime and despite municipal signs warning offenders not to do so.
She said more rubbish accumulates at resident’s houses and some opt not to wait for the weekly municipality garbage collection and end up dumping their rubbish in the cemetery.
Contacted for comment on the issue, Dawn Kruger, public relations officer of Keetmanshoop, said the problem is well known and plans are underway to curb illegal dumping not only at the cemetery but around the town.
“We understand the causes and we are working hard to come up with solutions,” she said. One of the possible solutions in the pipeline for the municipality is the purchasing a skip containers and loader and Dawn stressed that the plans have already been incorporated in the new budget. The municipality plans to buy 10 skip containers with one loader, with the skip containers to be strategically placed at places where illegal dumping is commonplace.
Dawn called on the residents to refrain from using the cemetery as a dumpsite, as it is supposed to be a respected and sacred place.
“We ask people not to dump there as it’s unattractive and it’s disrespectful to the bereaved families,” pleaded Dawn.