Anglican Church books 200 graves — again!

THE Anglican Church has done it again, returning to the City of Bulawayo for another reservation of burial space, this time seeking 200 graves at Umvutcha Cemetery in a deal that could earn council US$8 600.

The proposed allocation comes as the local authority seeks to balance demand for burial space with the need to sustainably manage its cemetery assets, with Umvutcha currently holding 6 500 available graves.

The Anglican Church has formally approached council for exclusive reservation of the 200 graves for its congregants after burial space previously allocated to it at West Park Cemetery was exhausted.

A report by the Director of Health Services dated August 6, 2026 that was tabled before a full council on Wednesday indicate that the latest request was effectively a continuation of the church’s previous arrangement with the city.

“It was pertinent to note that Council had previously allocated burial space to the Anglican Church at West Park Cemetery and that allocated space was now fully utilised.

“This current request was therefore a follow-up request for alternative burial space following the depletion of their previous allocation.”
From a capacity perspective, council said the proposed reservation represented a relatively small portion of Umvutcha’s remaining stock.

“Currently, Umvutcha Cemetery had 6 500 available graves. With the current average grave consumption rate of 105 graves per month, the available grave capacity was projected to last until approximately 2030.”

“The 200 graves requested represented 3% of the current available stock, equivalent to about 1.9 months of consumption.”

At the proposed reservation rate of US$43 per grave, the allocation would immediately generate US$8 600 for council.

The local authority, however, is seeking to ensure that the reservation does not become a permanent lock-up of valuable burial space, particularly given the city’s average consumption of 105 graves a month.

“In view of the above, it was recommended that the request may be granted, subject to following conditions to protect Council’s interests:

“a) The Anglican Church shall pay a reservation fee of USD $43.00 per grave, for the 200 graves, giving a total of USD $8,600.00.

“b) The reservation shall be valid for a period of five (5) years, renewable upon payment of the prevailing reservation fee.

“c) The church shall be required to renew the reservation for the remaining unutilised graves at least three months prior to the lapse of the five year reservation period.”

The five-year framework gives the church security over the reserved space while providing council with an opportunity to review the arrangement and apply prevailing fees when the reservation is renewed.

The report also proposed strict conditions should the church fail to renew the reservation.

Failure to renew within the stipulated period would result in automatic forfeiture, with the graves reverting to council for reallocation without further notice or compensation.

The financial terms further provide that the initial US$8 600 payment would not be refundable and would be separate from normal burial charges.

“d) The reservation fee was non-refundable and does not include the standard burial/interment fees which shall be payable at the time of actual burial.

“e) The reserved graves shall not be transferable or resold to the third parties outside the Anglican Church congregants.”

This means council would retain the ability to derive additional revenue through standard burial and interment fees when the graves are eventually utilised.

The arrangement also prevents the reserved burial spaces from being treated as tradable assets, restricting their use to Anglican Church congregants.

The proposal comes against a broader challenge facing local authorities that of managing finite public infrastructure while generating sufficient revenue to maintain services.

During consideration councillors enquired whether the city still had adequate burial space at Umvutcha Cemetery.

The Director of Health Services said there was still adequate land and that the proposed reservation of 200 graves was reasonable.

The proposed deal provides a balance between religious requirements and municipal asset management, allowing the Anglican Church to secure dedicated burial space while council earns US$8 600 upfront and retains control over the graves and future use of the cemetery.

However, the report does not make it clear how the 200 graves would be set aside or administered exclusively for Anglican Church congregants once the reservation is approved.

While it outlines the reservation fee, five-year validity and conditions for renewal and forfeiture, the report t does not specify the mechanism council would use to distinguish the reserved graves from the wider cemetery stock or how utilisation of the allocation would be monitored.