- Please find attached an English and an Afrikaans soundbite by Veronica van Dyk MP.
- Please scroll down for the Afrikaans statement.
The destruction of the historic Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial Cemetery in Pietermaritzburg will not happen under the DA’s watch.
The Msunduzi Municipality’s executive committee’s plans, or even consideration to demolish the Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial Cemetery in Pietermaritzburg for possible development, is an attempt at expropriation without following legal procedures and should be strongly condemned.
Documents, made available to the DA, show that this property belongs to five churches – the NG Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church, Roman Catholic Church, and the Church of England (See attached).
The Secretary of the Church of England Cemetery Committee reported on 11 November 1948 that the Corporation “had passed by-laws in respect of private cemeteries whereby they (the Corporation) had agreed to a resolution on 27 October 1948 assuming immediate control of the Commercial Road burials grounds.”
The existing agreement between the Church and Municipality must be implemented in terms of the management and maintenance of this property. The churches still are the property owners.
The DA will write to the City Manager, requesting to respond within seven days by virtue of which legal background they have compiled a report stating their intention to “recycle” this cemetery that contains historic graves dating back 180 years.
The DA wants to know what/if any consultation took place with the legal land owners before this intention was stated?
If this report, that was tabled in the executive committee of the municipality, should be presented to the full Council and agreed to and lead to any expenditure towards the municipality, the DA will make sure that each council member will be personally held accountable.
This cemetery must rather be conserved and protected by the municipality and develop as a historically significant site. We note the FAK’s petition in this regard and support their efforts to protect the cemetery.
DA verwerp Msunduzi Munisipaliteit se onwettige poging om kerkgrond en historiese grafte te onteien
Die DA sal alles in ons vermoë doen om die sloping van die historiese Chief Albert Luthuli-gedenkbegraafplaas in Pietermaritzburg te keer.
Die Msunduzi Munisipaliteit se uitvoerende komitee se planne, of selfs oorweging om die begraafplaas in Pietermaritzburg te sloop vir moontlike ontwikkeling, is ’n poging tot onteiening sonder om wetlike prosedures te volg en moet ten sterkste veroordeel word.
Dokumente, wat aan die DA beskikbaar gestel is, toon dat hierdie eiendom aan vyf kerke behoort – die NG Kerk, Anglikaanse Kerk, Metodistekerk, Rooms-Katolieke Kerk en die Church of England (Sien aangeheg).
Die Sekretaris van die Church of England-begraafplaaskomitee het op 11 November 1948 berig dat die Korporasie “verordeninge ten opsigte van private begraafplase goedgekeur het waardeur hulle (die Korporasie) ingestem het tot ‘n resolusie op 27 Oktober 1948 wat onmiddellike beheer van die Commercial Road begraafplaas aanvaar”.
Die bestaande ooreenkoms tussen die Kerk en Munisipaliteit moet geïmplementeer word in terme van die bestuur en instandhouding van hierdie eiendom. Die kerke is steeds die wetlike eienaars.
Die DA sal aan die Stadsbestuurder skryf en versoek om binne sewe dae te reageer op grond van watter regsagtergrond hulle ‘n verslag saamgestel het met hul voorneme om hierdie begraafplaas met 180-jaar-oue grafte te herontwikkel.
Die DA wil weet of enige konsultasie met die wettige grondeienaars plaasgevind het voordat hierdie voorneme gestel is?
Indien hierdie verslag, wat in die uitvoerende komitee van die munisipaliteit ter tafel gelê is, aan die volle Raad voorgelê word en ingestem word en lei tot enige uitgawes teenoor die munisipaliteit, sal die DA seker maak dat elke raadslid persoonlik aanspreeklik gehou sal word.
Hierdie begraafplaas moet eerder deur die munisipaliteit bewaar en beskerm word en ontwikkel word as ‘n histories-betekenisvolle terrein. Ons neem kennis van die FAK se petisie in hierdie verband en ondersteun hul pogings om die begraafplaas te beskerm.