adminNqobile Tshili Chronicle Correspondent
THE Government’s delay in gazetting new cemeteries for Bulawayo is forcing residents to travel over 32km to bury their loved ones. The city identified land for a new cemetery in Pumula South suburb and along Harare Road in 2014 but cannot start burials before the Government gives the nod. Councillors on Wednesday said lack of burial space in the city was forcing city fathers to accord undeserving people burial space at Lady Stanley Cemetery.
The cemetery is reserved for residents who contributed positively to Bulawayo’s development. Debating in the full council meeting, councillors said the delay in gazetting burial space was hurting residents who are forced to travel from one end of the city to another just to bury their loved ones.
They said it increased funeral expenses for bereaved families. The councillors urged the Mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, his deputy Clr Gift Banda and acting Town Clerk Mrs Sikhangele Zhou to move with speed to ensure the city gets new cemeteries gazetted.
At the moment Bulawayo depends on Old Luveve Cemetery for burials after the closure of West Park Cemetery at the end of May. Ward One councillor Mlandu Ncube torched the debate, saying it was worrying that someone in central Government had not heeded calls from council to allocate burial land to the city.
He said burials at Old Luveve Cemetery were costly for Bulawayo residents especially those coming from eastern suburbs.
“We’re fast running out of burial space. It’s problematic that the whole of Bulawayo has to go to Luveve to bury their loved ones. Right now we’re even burying undeserving people at Lady Stanley who don’t qualify to be buried there,” said Clr Ncube.
He said it was disheartening that residents should travel from Waterford suburb to Luveve just to lay their relatives to rest.
Ward 23 Clr Thobani Ncube said council should just go ahead with burials if the State is not interested in gazetting the burial land.
“This is our land, we should go ahead and bury because this is our land. Anyway if we go ahead with burials are they going to force us to exhume the bodies?” he asked.
The city’s Mayor Clr Moyo said he recently came face to face with the burial problem as he witnessed a family travelling 32km just for a burial in the city.
“We will continue to pursue the matter. I also saw the problem last week. I was talking to a family from Woodville suburb. They said they travelled 32km to Luveve just to bury their relative,” said Clr Moyo.
Ward 14 councillor Mr Macdonald Chunga said the Mayor and the acting Town Clerk need to protest if necessary for Bulawayo to be allocated the burial space.
“It’s painful and an insult to the people of Bulawayo. In the near future we won’t be having burial space.
“The mayor, his deputy and the acting Town Clerk should go to Harare so that they can come back with a result because this is not funny anymore,” said Clr Chunga.
Online Reporter