Uproar over R1.6m for reburial of cop killers

THE Okhahlamba Local Municipality has approved a R1.6 million budget to exhume and rebury 22 cop killers who were executed in 1956.

During a special council meeting last week, the small rural municipality, based in Bergville in Kwazulu-natal’s Midlands, approved a report for the exhumation and reburial of the 22 executed Bergville residents.

However, opposition parties such as the IFP and DA have slammed the move, saying the municipality was spending ratepayers’ money on initiatives beyond its mandate.

Through a coalition with the ANC, the African People’s Movement is in charge of the municipality, with its leader, Vikizitha Mlotshwa, being the mayor.

The budget would reportedly be used for logistics and acquiring an exhumation and reburial order from the Gauteng province, among other things.

The so-called Ngoba 22 were alleged cannabis growers who murdered five police officers during an ambush near their cannabis fields in the lower Drakensberg.

As a consequence, the 22 were sentenced to death and were hanged in Pretoria.

The report noted that the municipality had already spent R1.4 million in March, when the events were commemorated as part of Human Rights Day.

On the budget breakdown, the report stated that the money would be spent on sourcing the expertise of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to conduct the exhumation of the remains as all victims were buried in threes or fours to a grave.

The process also entailed conducting geo-technical and layout studies of the unidentified burial site.

The suitability of the land was critical since it would be declared a provincial heritage site.

The budget was also to provide accommodation and catering for the families in Gauteng when they attended the exhumations and reburials from July 4 to 8.

Expenses would cover the “provision of mortuaries for the remains, coffins, transport, lowering devices on the day of mass funeral as well as other event logistics such as marquee, chairs, and catering,” read the report.

A senior official within the municipality who spoke on condition of anonymity said the project started years ago.

All costs were going to be covered by provincial and national departments.

He said they were caught by surprise when the matter was tabled before a special council with all costs to be paid for by the municipality.

IFP councillor Philani Zwane said the project was a clear plan to loot municipal coffers.

Zwane added that the leaders were “hell-bent on executing the plan sooner rather than later”.

He said the R1.4 million spent on Human Rights Day was also questionable.

“They want to loot at all cost,” Zwane said.

“When the R1.4 million was spent, we were told it was going to contribute to the exhumation and reburial.

“But no one knows how those funds were spent. They now want to splash R1.6 million, which is outside the mandate of the local municipality, to exhume and rebury people,” said Zwane.

“The leaders are also intimidating, bringing people to the council, including the chief, to have this budget approved. We have voted against this, but they insisted that they will execute all the plans. This council has turned it into a spaza shop where the ruling parties are doing whatever they like. We are intimidated and threatened when we oppose such nonsense.”

DA councillor Michael Buthelezi said his party abstained from voting as they sought more information about the project.

“We do not want to oppose the initiative as people of Bergville but we are concerned about the manner in which the whole thing is conducted. We are seeking clarity on the logistics and who is going to pay for certain costs.

“Our understanding is the project was administered by the provincial and national departments and the municipality is a custodian of this. But suddenly, the council convened a special meeting for this and no information was provided except for the vote for this project,” Buthelezi said.

Mlotshwa had not responded to enquiries by the time of going to press.