Bereaved families have expressed shock that confidential documents about their dead relatives have been dumped next to a Grahamstown street.
Bereaved families have expressed shock that confidential documents about their dead relatives have been dumped next to a Grahamstown street.
After a resident called Grocott's Mail to say documents detailing personal information had been thrown on to an illegal dump near Mary Waters school, our reporter arrived there to find pupils sifting through piles of documents – many headed by the logo of Shweme & Shweme funeral directors.
Sensitive details such as cause of death and relatives’ phone numbers and addresses had been left for any passer by to pick up.
That was two weeks ago.
Almost a week later the papers were still lying in the dump, although some had been blown towards neighbouring houses.
Curious passersby expressed shock when they walked past the area and realised the amount of detail the documents contained.
Addresses, phone numbers, causes of death, death certificates, ID copies, fingerprint copies, wreaths and even a tombstone were there for the taking.
Khuselwa George Mginywa was appalled when she found out that her brother’s personal information was lying in the street for anyone to see.
She said she was considering legal action against the company.
“This shows that they have no respect for their customers. It’s a total lack of care for people’s private things,” she said.
Mginywa, who lives in King William’s Town, said she still had family in Grahamstown. She couldn’t believe the funeral company had really disposed of private documents so carelessly.
“Just imagine people’s things lying in the street like that,” she said.
An elderly woman from Lombo Street, in Tantyi, who did not give her name, said she didn’t know what to make of the whole thing.
She said the only reason she could think off was that the company were leaving Grahamstown.
“Yhoo! these funeral policies. Why would they do something like this?” she asked.
Responding to questions Shweme & Shweme national public relations manager Odwa Duru said the documents had been stolen during a break-in at the company's storage container.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, Duru said they were dealing with it. He explained that the company rents out a space at a house in Extension 6, where use a container as a storage facility.
"A month after someone has been buried we store their things in that container, because we don't have a store room in our office," he said.
Duru said there had been three break-ins at the container since they opened for business in Grahamstown eight years ago.
"We have found another building in town which is more secure."
"We have opened a criminal case after the break in. We are taking the container to PE, where it will be used for other purposes," Duru said.
Municipal spokesman Mncedisi Boma confirmed this week that it was illegal to dump waste in that area.
"That's why there is no [rubbish container]there. There has to be a community meeting, together with the ward councillor for that place to be declared a dumping site.
They need to say if they want it to be a dumping site," he said. Boma said people mostly dumped building material there.
After consulting with the company's head office, Duru said the company would offer a reward of R10 000 to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people or person who broke into the container.
Contact Duru at 083 569 4924 or the Grahamstown police at 046 603 9111.
