Female Grave Digger Defies the Odds

Women are defying odds and excelling in jobs known to be for males only. The tide is turning and women are stepping up and matching men pound for pound.

Previously dominated by males, grave digging is the kind of job that would send chills down the spine of many people. It is simply not for the faint hearted. 

However, for Muntu Magalela (56), a mother of two from Rondebult in Boksburg, grave digging is surely a stroll in the park for her.

“It was not an easy task at first but throughout the years I have become so accustomed to this job,” she said.

Magalela has been working for the City since 2009, when she was employed as a licensed tractor driver to cut grass.

Over the years her scope of work has expanded and now includes grave digging and trimming at the Cambrian Cemetery in Rondebult.

Normally she digs and trims 20 graves a day, but now due to the Covid-19 pandemic the number of graves increased to almost 30 per day.