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51 tombstones vandalised

DESECRATED: One of the tombstone that have been destroyed at the cemetery at Siyandhani village. Pic. Victor Hlungwani. 13/05/2008. © Sowetan.
DESECRATED: One of the tombstone that have been destroyed at the cemetery at Siyandhani village. Pic. Victor Hlungwani. 13/05/2008. © Sowetan.

Victor Hlungwani

Victor Hlungwani

The community of Siyandhani, outside Giyani in Limpopo, is seething with anger after more than 51 expensive tombstones were randomly destroyed at the local cemetery.

Chief Famanda Siyandhani told Sowetan yesterday that his senior headman went to the cemetery yesterday to look at sites where they could bury one of their community members who had recently passed away.

"When he came back from the graveyard he informed the royal council about what he had seen and we held a meeting and then reported the matter to MW Makhubele police station.

"What happened is terrible. It will be too costly to repair the damage and we are going to call a mass meeting today to teach our people to respect graves - and also to assist the police to arrest the culprits."

Greater Giyani Municipality spokesman Room Mdaka said they were saddened by what had happened to the tombstones but the municipality would await the outcome of the police investigation.

Police spokesman Moatshe Ngoepe said the police had opened a violation of graves case. He appealed to the community to give them information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.

l Mphephu Maluleke, whose husband's tombstone was vandalised in December, said she she did not have any money to repair the tombstone because she was unemployed.

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