Verulam residents alarmed by public indecency at Wick Street cemetery

Residents of Verulam are expressing outrage over reports of men engaging in public indecency at Wick Street Local Cemetery. This disturbing behavior has been occurring almost daily since January, as detailed in complaints submitted to private security company Reaction Unit SA (RUSA). According to RUSA, the cemetery, located in the Verulam central business district near Durban, has been the site of multiple men standing or lying on graves while watching pornographic videos.

Some of these men have even had their audio heard by children living nearby. Complaints reportedly came to RUSA from Project 360, a security and cleaning firm, after residents of a nearby block of flats expressed their concerns.

Despite multiple interventions by municipal workers and members of the public, the men continue to return to the cemetery and recommit the act, sometimes in full public view. RUSA plans to deploy its drone pilot for regular patrols over the cemetery, with reaction officers called in as needed. The Funeral Industry Reformed Association (FIRA) chair, Johan Rousseau, has called for decisive action from government, municipalities, and law enforcement to address the situation, emphasizing that cemeteries are spaces of dignity and remembrance, and that families should be able to visit loved ones' graves without fear or discomfort. Rousseau stressed that neglect of cemeteries cannot become the new norm.