Authorities in Johannesburg announced on Wednesday that from early 2014 they will be introducing security devices on tombstones to curb the sharp rise in theft.
Thieves have been on the rampage stealing from graves and selling items and material from tombstones and loved ones have had to come face to face with the shock of discovering the thefts.
Allan Buff an overseer of cemeteries said that a private company was being contracted to install microchip transmitters into tombstones.
When this system comes into place it will be able to detect any slight movement which would trigger off sirens.
“Then we will be able to immediately locate the area where a tombstone has been moved and we will be able to track it down”.
A text message would then be sent to deceased relatives.
“It’s like your car tracking device,” he said.
“Obviously there’s a lot of emotional connotation that goes with it,” said Mark Pringle director of Memorial Alert, the South African company that has the patent for the world’s first tombstone security technology.
Families can decide whether to install the alarm or not, insurance can also be taken to cover against theft and damage.
In Johannesburg 36 public cemeteries have perimeter sensors but an average of 15 to 20 thefts still occur as tombstones are stolen each month.
Security guards who patrol have also failed to catch the thieves.
The problem of theft from cemeteries is not only in South Africa but happens worldwide.
Items such as flowers and vases were also known to be stolen from graveyards as more and more people lose respect for the dead.
In the olden days it was never heard of that peoples steal from the dead. Nowadays thieves are so daring that they even steal from dead bodies at accident scenes.
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