R150 million kasi cemetery dies!

THE project has stalled, leaving many with unanswered questions.

The multi-million-rand Tshwane North Regional Cemetery, meant for the residents of Stinkwater for burial purposes, is vandalised and dilapidated.

The 20-hectare cemetery facility, built in 2014, is still not operational.

The site has left many tongues wagging about its importance to the community, as it has never been used, despite over R141 million being spent so far from the allocated R150 million bill.

When asked what halted the utilisation thus far, Tshwane City spokesman Lindela Mashigo said the facility was developed in a remote area.

He said it is outside the urban edge and far from communities.

"The initial project planning did not include the development of an access road that leads to the cemetery. An informal settlement has also developed in the area over the years, and the access road that was identified by the department has watercourses."

Every part of the cemetery site has fallen apart. Ablution blocks, palisade fencing, and the pavement have turned into grazing land.

The place looks like a bushveld.

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Despite the state of the cemetery site, a security company is looking after the ruins of an area that has remained a white elephant for almost a decade. Plans for future use are still unclear.

Mashego said the city is conceptualising a project to identify an alternative access road.

He said the project entails the following deliverables: a feasibility study, a stormwater management plan in terms of environmental impact assessment and a stormwater master plan.

"One of the reasons why the facility was not handed over to the residents upon completion of its development is that the city is still working on an alternative access road.

"Once the project is completed, the facility will be handed over to the community. The city is planning to put the facility into operation as soon as the development of the alternative access road is completed," Mashego said.

He said the city submitted an insurance claim for the vandalised and damaged infrastructure to recover the money lost so far.

Mashigo explained that the project is not a fruitless expenditure.

"The city is working hard to repair the damaged infrastructure and put the facility into operation. In addition, the city does not see this project as a fruitless expenditure as it will be utilised for its intended purpose, which is to provide a burial facility for the community."