{"id":224813,"date":"2026-05-08T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/224813\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T12:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T12:00:25","slug":"heavy-rains-sink-graves-at-olifantsvlei-cemetery-pictures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/224813\/","title":{"rendered":"Heavy rains sink graves at Olifantsvlei Cemetery [PICTURES]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\tJoburg City Parks urges families with loved ones buried at Olifantsvlei Cemetery to visit the graves and report any damage.\n\t<\/p>\n

Relentless rainstorms have left a trail of damage across Johannesburg\u2019s major cemeteries, causing soil to subside and waterlogging numerous gravesites. <\/p>\n

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) spokesperson Jenny Moodley confirmed to The Citizen that while the damage does not amount to a structural failure of the cemeteries, prolonged saturation has caused soil to shift at Olifantsvlei, Westpark and Avalon.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Gravesites impacted by heavy rainfall at Olifantsvlei Cemetery. Picture: Supplied\/Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo<\/p>\n

Families urged to inspect resting places<\/p>\n

Rather than a widespread collapse of the grounds, Moodley stressed that these isolated instances of sinking stem from the unusually heavy rainfall of recent weeks.<\/p>\n

JCPZ is calling on residents to visit the graves of their loved ones to assess potential damage. <\/p>\n

Because soil settlement varies from minor sinking to significant subsidence, Moodley said they have not yet released a total count of affected sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this stage, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo is unable to provide a confirmed number of affected graves as assessments are ongoing across the various cemeteries,\u201d she told The Citizen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact has not been concentrated in a single section, but rather in isolated low-lying areas where prolonged saturation of the soil has occurred.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Impacted gravesites due to heavy rainfall at Olifantsvlei Cemetery. Picture: Supplied\/Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo <\/p>\n

To assist with recovery efforts, the city has placed mounds of fresh soil and sand at the affected cemeteries.<\/p>\n

Families can use these resources to refill and compact gravesites that have dipped below ground level due to the rains.<\/p>\n

Reporting and repair protocols<\/p>\n

JCPZ reminded the public that it does not perform repairs or re-erect headstones without explicit family consent, largely to avoid allegations of tampering.<\/p>\n

If you discover damage, the city requests that you visit the cemetery administration office or email full details (deceased name, cemetery, section and grave number) to [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Before hiring a stonemason to repair a headstone, residents must obtain a permit from the cemetery office, preferably during the week.<\/p>\n

Officials recommend working with qualified stonemasons to ensure the ground is stable enough to support heavy memorials.<\/p>\n

The \u2018one-year rule\u2019 for headstones<\/p>\n

In light of the recent subsidence, JCPZ is reiterating its advice against rushing to install permanent monuments. Soil requires a significant amount of time to settle and compact naturally after a burial.<\/p>\n

\u201cJCPZ strongly advises families to only install permanent tombstones or headstones after one year of burial,\u201d the agency stated. <\/p>\n

Following this guideline significantly reduces the risk of expensive headstones shifting, cracking or collapsing during future heavy rainfall.<\/p>\n

\tSupport Local Journalism<\/p>\n

Add The Citizen as a Preferred Source on Google and follow us on Google News to see more of our trusted reporting in Google News and Top Stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Joburg City Parks urges families with loved ones buried at Olifantsvlei Cemetery to visit the graves and report…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224814,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[52],"tags":[114412,114413,31931,131,308],"class_list":["post-224813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-south-africa","tag-damage","tag-johannesburg-city-parks-zoo","tag-rainfall","tag-south-africa","tag-weather"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@africa\/116538849690132450","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224813\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}