Family members, grieving the death of their grandmother, were dealt a second blow after callous thugs preyed on them as they fulfilled the last rites, laying their grandmother’s memory to rest.
Mourners at the Rebecca Street Crematorium section, were ambushed and robbed by three armed and dangerous thugs last Friday afternoon (Good Friday, April 6).
The armed thugs terrorized the victims and demanded their valuables. One of the accosted mourners, Jerome Govender (26), said they were at the crematorium section for their grandmother's funeral, but little did they think, even in their wildest imagination, that they would become victims of crime while waiting for the ashes at the cemetery.
Jerome recalled to the Laudium Sun, "At around 3pm, while we were waiting for my late grandmother's ashes, my cousin wanted his jacket which was in his car, that was parked a little away, so a few of us decided to accompany him. As we opened the car door, three criminals, two of whom were armed with firearms and the other a knife, suddenly appeared and demanded our valuables. They searched the car and took a laptop, cellphones and a wallet that had been kept in the cup holder," exclaimed Jerome, in disbelief.
The traumatized victim said he was shocked at how the thugs then nonchalantly walked away, leaving the victims completely stunned. "It all happened so fast. When we asked around, we were told that a similar incident happened on Monday (April 2) at the crematorium," Jerome said.
He concluded, “We are so disappointed that nothing is being done to protect grieving mourners from gun-wielding criminals. There should at least be a warning sign, informing mourners to be vigilant. In addition there are security guards, but they just sit inside their zozo office which is at the entrance instead of patrolling."
Jeetu Kallan, an official of the Pretoria Hindu Society, who was at the cemetery at the time of the armed robbery, told the Laudium Sun that he was surprised such an incident happened, because security personnel are on duty at the graveyard.
"I am not aware of any other robbery incidents that have recently occurred at the Rebecca Street Cemetery, but there are a few rumours going around. This, I believe, was a once-off incident that could have happened anywhere else, as the crime rate is high in our country," Jeetu said.
Jerome Govender has been left distraught after being robbed at the cemetery.
The Rebecca Street cemetery, where some mourners were accosted, near the crematorium, by gun-wielding thugs over the Easter weekend.