Residents and the Funeral Industry Reformed Association (FIRA) have demanded urgent action after men were alleged to have masturbated on graves at Durban’s Wick Street Local Cemetery since January 2026, with complaints citing children hearing audio from pornographic videos in nearby homes.
Incident Details and Community Reports
The incidents, first documented in January, involve men visiting the Wick Street Local Cemetery in Verulam, north of Durban, during both day and evening hours. RUSA, which received complaints from residents and the security and cleaning company Project 360, described the behavior as desecration of sacred spaces
and emphasized that families should be able to visit the graves of their loved ones without fear, intimidation, or exposure to inappropriate behaviour.
Calls for Government Action and Cemetery Oversight
FIRA, the Funeral Industry Reformed Association, joined residents in urging authorities to act. Its chair, Johan Rousseau, condemned the behavior as a violation of dignity, remembrance, and mourning,
stating, Cemeteries are places of dignity, remembrance and mourning. Families should be able to visit the graves of their loved ones without fear, intimidation, exposure to inappropriate behaviour or the desecration of sacred spaces.
Rousseau called for decisive government intervention, warning that neglect becomes normality
if the issue is not addressed. His remarks echoed concerns raised by RUSA, which highlighted the need for broader questions about access control at cemeteries, municipal oversight, and whether complaints are acted on at all.
The Funeral Industry Reformed Association has also criticized the lack of enforcement, noting that we cannot normalise the deterioration of our cemeteries.
Ongoing Concerns and Security Measures
RUSA’s efforts to address the issue include deploying technology and personnel, but the company acknowledged that the men visit and leave the graveyard at various hours,
making consistent monitoring difficult. The security firm’s statement emphasized that despite these interventions, the individuals allegedly return to the cemetery and continue their activities,
suggesting a systemic challenge in enforcing order at the site.
IOL and Joburgetc both reported the allegations and responses from RUSA and FIRA.
