Cleansing ceremony at Medupi for disturbed graves

A cleansing ceremony was held at the Medupi power plant near Lephalale in Limpopo to appease the ancestral spirits of the local community over damage caused to family graves during construction of the plant.

A memorial plaque was also laid at the site during the ceremony which was attended by local dignitaries as well as executives from Eskom‚ including the electricity parastatal’s CEO‚ Brian Molefe.

Molefe apologised to the community last year after an investigation revealed that seven ancestral burial sites had been disturbed. He also promised to preserve the burial ground as a heritage site.   

An arena with a commemorative plaque in memory of those affected – the Kgoro Shrine Memorial Site — has been built and measures have been taken to ensure that the graves are protected that families have access to the graves.

Five sites in the vicinity‚ including sacred pools and old settlements‚ that were also identified during an assessment commissioned last year by the Department of Environmental Affairs‚ have also been preserved.

Construction began on the Limpopo power plant in 2007‚ and has suffered from repeated delays and strikes by contractors ever since. A cultural commentator last year blamed the delays on ancestral bones being disturbed.

Following traditional rites at the break of dawn on Saturday for a symbolic relocation of the spirits of the departed to their new resting place‚ Public Enterprises Deputy Minister Bulelani Magwanishe unveiled the memorial stone and shrine depicting the names of those whose graves might have be moved as part of the recommendations of the South African Commission for the Promotion and Protection of rights of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Right Commission)

“As Government we need to ensure that the cultural heritage of all South Africans is protected. We are humbled by Eskom’s gesture of putting a memorial stone so that the Marapong community and the affected families are able to visit their departed loved ones unhindered. A nation without knowledge of its cultural heritage is a lost nation. This process allows us as Government and State-Owned Company to restore the dignity of the affected families‚” said Magwanishe.

He thanked all who had contributed to the restoration of the cultural site.

Eskom tweeted from the site: “Traditional dancers rejoicing at #Medupi cleansing ceremony‚ with the community happy that the day has come.

“Families representative Mr Tibanyane expresses relief following unveiling of Kgoro Shrine. Thanking community & Eskom for working together.”

In another tweet‚ it stated: “Kgoro is where Marapong community members used to gather for their spiritual appeasement‚ resolve disputes & pray to their ancestors.”

“Eskom has worked with the local community and the region’s traditional leadership in its efforts to restore the dignity of the community. This is a very significant day — a moment in our history when we as a nation come together in acknowledgement that in this place lay a people who mattered. A people we loved — an individual and collective ancestry for our family bloodline‚ the people of Marapong and the South African collective‚” said Eskom group CEO Brian Molefe.

“Furthermore‚ Eskom has and will continue to work with the surrounding communities‚ the traditional chiefs of the region‚ the Provincial Government‚ the Local Government‚ the South African Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities‚ the Limpopo Heritage Resources Authority and the South African Heritage Resources Authority to make sure we acknowledge and respect our common ancestry to light the future of our people‚” Molefe added.