Mphikeleli Mansangu Govan Mbeki Municipality’s acting head of communication Donald Green claims the decision to wait for the grave was made by the family, not the municipality. The graveyard in Ext 14, eMbalenhle.
The family had already paid for a grave at the cemetery at Extension 14, but when the funeral procession arrived, there was no grave to use.
Municipal employees have apparently been on a go-slow and refused to help the public.
Employees at the Evander offices demanded personal protective equipment (PPE) such as sanitisers, scanners and gloves.
The Nzima family from eMbalenhle said the funeral of their loved one was more traumatic than needed to be. It took them two hours before they could bury their family member because the grave site was not prepared in advance and they had to watch and wait while the grave was being dug.