The wild and healthy looking small dogs live underneath one of the graves which has become their home for the past four weeks.

And to crown it all the puppies have managed to survive the Cape winter storms and colds.

Wilson Similo Apleni who works at the graveyard as a digger and cleaner said they noticed the female dog walking around the graveyard but never suspected it might have babies there.

He said the dog has no owner and has been scavenging around for food.

Apleni said because of his love for animals he has decided to adopt it and its puppies by feeding them every day.

“I bring them food every morning and feed them to stay healthy.

Normally dogs stray from their owners because of hunger but to bare puppies at a graveyard was unusual”.

One of the diggers said it was not the first time the dog had born puppies in the graveyard.

“This is the fourth time this dog has born puppies here and everytime the puppies vanished unnoticed and some people took them”.

The dog has now become part of the graveyard and its like a watchman.

Apleni said since working at the graveyard they had seen strange things happening there in which people bring live chickens and tie them up along side their loved one’s graves.

He said the Khayelitsha cemetery is full and in the meantime people are being buried on top of each other while they are still waiting for the final construction of the new graveyard.

The new graveyard is going to be ready before the end of the year.