After struggling to bury her cousin’s brother due to a lack of finances, Rhona de Lang, a Ghost Town resident expressed her gratitude to the South African Communist Party (SACP) for assisting her family with the funeral.
After struggling to bury her cousin’s brother due to a lack of finances, Rhona de Lang, a Ghost Town resident expressed her gratitude to the South African Communist Party (SACP) for assisting her family with the funeral.
Joseph Hartley passed away at the age of 45 on 11 September after he fell ill due to tuberculosis. He was kept at the mortuary for two weeks because his family couldn’t afford to release his body for burial. His family say they didn’t know how they were going to bury him because there is no breadwinner in the family and they are not members of a burial society. When Sheila Botha, the secretary of the SACP in Ward 10 and her colleagues heard about the family’s struggle they contacted various local organisations such as the Department of Social Development and the Mayor’s office for assistance. Botha says they then contacted the District Sectoror of the SACP, Lungile Mcube, who then positively to the poverty-stricken family’s plea. The SACP then organised a coffin, a cross, and catering for the burial. Hartley was then given a dignified funeral on Saturday.
Members of St Marys Catholic Church who attended the funeral bid farewell to Hartley with a peaceful hymn Blessed Assurance and prayer called I had a dream. "We didn’t know how we going to deal with this but we are grateful for all who assisted us," said De Lang. One of the concerned neighbours Girly Maarman, says that in such situations the residents should learn to stand together and help each other. The treasurer of the SACP, Ntombomzi Ngapi says, "we are grateful for Mcube’s assistance because he always tries his best to help those in need". She added that such a situation must not happen again another person again.
