The City of Windhoek has acknowledged that dedicated municipal security services have not yet been deployed at Groot Aub Cemetery, following the vandalism of Joseph Willem Modise's grave.
The municipality said the cemetery remains in a transitional phase following the incorporation of Groot Aub into the City of Windhoek and has not yet been fully integrated into the City's formal cemetery operations.
The response comes after the Modise family raised concerns following the reported disturbance of Joseph's grave, an incident they say reopened painful memories surrounding his death in police custody in January 2023.
In response to enquiries from New Era, City section head of corporate communications Lydia Amutenya said the municipality viewed the incident with concern and acknowledged the distress caused to the affected family and the broader community.
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"The matter relates to a suspected criminal act and is currently under investigation by the Namibian Police, which has the mandate to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. As such, the City has limited information to provide on the matter at this stage," Amutenya said.
Police previously confirmed that investigators found the head section of Joseph Modise's grave had been disturbed, while the remainder of the grave remained intact.
The Modise family said the incident caused further trauma after they were called to the cemetery and witnessed their son's remains being removed for examination.
Gertrude Maria Modise, Joseph's mother, previously told New Era that the family had already endured years of uncertainty following his death in police custody.
"You only bury someone once. But this time I had to go and bury bones again," she said.
Security concerns
The City's response has highlighted questions about security arrangements at Groot Aub Cemetery.
Amutenya said dedicated City security services have not yet been deployed at the cemetery under the current transitional arrangements.
"The City will continue to assess operational requirements, including future management and security needs, as the integration process progresses," she said.
The municipality said Groot Aub Cemetery continues to operate as a community cemetery, where families undertake burials, while the restoration and maintenance of individual graves remain the responsibility of respective families.
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The City has, however, progressively assumed certain functions, including seasonal cleaning and grave identification.
Amutenya said arrangements for the current cemetery cleaning exercise are already underway.
Transitional phase
According to the City, the cemetery has not yet been fully incorporated into its formal cemetery system due to unresolved legal matters.
"The City remains committed to supporting the orderly management and maintenance of the cemetery within the scope of the current arrangements while working towards its future integration into the municipal cemetery system," Amutenya said.
The Modise family has called for answers regarding both Joseph's death and the circumstances surrounding the disturbance of his grave.
Joseph, affectionately known as 'Bhonny', worked as a mortuary technician during the Covid-19 pandemic. His family remembers him as a hardworking, caring and humorous person.
The Namibian Police Force is investigating the grave disturbance.
