The improvements at the cemetery in Louis Trichardt have not gone unnoticed. Community members who attended funerals over the past few weeks remarked on the fact that a difference can be seen at the cemetery. The grass had been cut and all the debris of unwelcome visitors collected. Pastor Johan van Rensburg of the AFM Charisma, who conducted three funerals over a week or two, said that it was looking a whole lot better. On our visiting the cemetery on May 13, employees were found working right through the lunch hour to dig holes to erect a new fence. The workers were from the Latanyanda Company of Levubu, they said. Pastor Van Rensburg and the Crime Sector Forum met with the Makhado municipal manager, Mr Shadrack Tshikalange, on April 29. Van Rensburg, who is also chairperson of the forum, said that he mentioned the discontent about the conditions at the graveyard to the municipal manager. The Crime Sector Forum is pleased with the current improvements taking place at the cemetery. The Forum expressed their wish for a safe and peaceful life for all inhabitants of the Makhado Municipal area. They assured the municipal manager of their “support in every effort to better service provision, cleanliness and good living conditions.” Apart from the graveyard, the Crime Sector Forum discussed a number of important challenges with the municipal manager. “We were received very positively,” said Van Rensburg. The Sector requested to have traffic officials on duty after hours, since most drinking and driving and accidents occur after hours. The lack of street lights was a continuous concern.The general condition of the roads also causes damage to emergency and policing vehicles. The continuous problem of illegal foreigners was raised. Residents of Tshikota suffer increasingly from violent incidents caused by illegal foreigners. Heavier fines for people who do not keep their cattle fenced were requested. “The vendors and activities on our sidewalks and others areas need to be policed, for these create areas for criminal activities. The vacant stands, parks and areas where the bushes and long grass provide a hiding place for criminals must be kept neat,” Van Rensburg said on behalf of the Sector Crime Forum. For the same reason, the long grass in the cemetery has to be kept short on an ongoing basis. A neat, well-kept cemetery also helps to provide comfort for the bereaved families. It is vital that family members must be safe when visiting the graves of their loved ones. Some community members thought that the small room being erected near the entrance to the cemetery was for security reasons. Mr Ralulimi, the municipality’s Director of Technical Services, said on May 24 that the new building was for shelter for the person responsible for maintaining the cemetery as well as for equipment. Ralulimi confirmed that a project for the upgrading of the fence and routine maintenance was taking place and said that the project should be completed before June 30. The municipality had outsourced certain aspects of the project.