Family ordered to exhume remains buried at former homestead

Mafube coal mine has been granted a court order giving a Mpumalanga family two months to exhume the remains of their relatives buried at their former homestead.

- Masoka Dube

The Land Court recently granted Mafube a court order instructing the Buta family on Nooitgedacht farm near Middelburg to exhume the remains of their parents.

Last year, the family buried the elderly couple at the homestead and the mine approached the court to compel them to exhume the remains. The court granted an interim order but the family lawyers challenged it.

A few days ago, the court released a final order compelling the family to exhume the bodies.

“It is true that last week we received court papers instructing us to remove the graves of our parents. It was their wish to be buried in the yard, especially my father, who made it clear that he wanted to be buried in his cattle kraal when he died.

“We are confused and now waiting to get advice from our lawyers,” family spokesperson Rose Buta said.

Buta said the family was not willing to relocate the graves and they were going to fight the decision.