QONCE - Families in the Eastern Cape are demanding answers from Buffalo City Metro over poor conditions at some cemeteries.
Among those buried at the affected sites are some of the country’s anti-apartheid heroes and heroines.
The family of the late Elizabeth Biko was forced to exhume her body at the Zone 10 Zulichar Cemetery.
She was laid to rest in March this year, but the family later discovered that heavy rains had caused severe flooding at the cemetery.
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The family says flooding is a recurring problem at the site. When they visited Elizabeth's grave, they could no longer locate it, with several graves submerged in water.
They were then forced to exhume her remains.
The family says the process added to the emotional pain of losing their loved one, while also placing a financial burden on them.
The flooding badly damaged the casket, forcing the family to buy a new one for the reburial. They also had to pay the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality R4,500 for the exhumation.
READ: Eastern Cape residents 'losing hope' after heavy rains batter province
The family says they were fortunate enough to afford the costs, but questions what happens to families who cannot.
They also accuse the municipality of failing to warn them about the conditions at the cemetery before Elizabeth was buried.
The situation is just one of several problems reported at cemeteries across the Buffalo City Metro, including the theft and vandalism of tombstones.
There are also concerns about inadequate security, with some people reportedly erecting informal settlements alongside graves.
- eNCA's Ronald Masinda reports.