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Sikhangele Zhou

Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
THE Government will soon gazette Pumula and Marvel cemeteries, paving the way for the establishment of more than 150 000 graves in Bulawayo. The city is fast running out of burial space following the closure of West Park cemetery after it ran out of burial space. The new Pumula cemetery is near Pumula South, while the Marvel cemetery is located at Marvel Township in an area lying between the Bulawayo-Harare Road and the Bulawayo-Harare Railway Line near Mahatshula.

Acting Town Clerk Mrs Sikhangele Zhou yesterday said the city was making arrangements for the gazetting of the cemeteries. “We’ve received the go ahead from the Government to establish the Pumula and Marvel cemeteries as we have run out of burial space at West Park cemetery. We’re now making arrangements to pay for the gazetting of the two cemeteries at the Government Printers and we’re aiming to do so by Friday,” said Mrs Zhou during a media consultative meeting organised by the council yesterday.

Mrs Zhou said after the gazetting of the cemeteries, council will start preparing the two sites for burials. The Pumula cemetery measures 52, 7 hectares and is expected to accommodate between 107 350 and 114 270 graves after allowing for foot paths and driveways.

The Marvel cemetery measures about 25 hectares. The local authority started limiting burials at West Park to 10 per day and moved all burials of children to Luveve cemetery, before the decision to close the cemetery in June.

Of late the council has been encouraging people to cremate their loved ones, saying burial space at the cemeteries was fast running out. However, the local authority has claimed there is a low response from residents to switch over to cremations, with only 12 having been recorded in February this year.

After gazetting of the two new cemeteries, Bulawayo will have nine burial sites including Old Luveve, Luveve Extension, Luveve 3, Hyde Park, West Park, Lady Stanley and Athlone Avenue. The council handles about 300 to 400 burials per month.

The local authority has said only Luveve cemetery is operational, but it is also fast running out of space. Residents from other suburbs like Nketa, Nkulumane and Emganwini and eastern suburbs have complained that Luveve Cemetery is very far away from their homes as some travel more than 40 kilometres to the cemetery.

Bulawayo councillors suggested having two or three people buried in one grave to conserve burial space. Last month the Government approved the establishment of a private cemetery in Bulawayo’s Northlyn/ Trenance suburb.

Residents had over the years resisted establishment of the burial ground, saying it was too close to their homes. — @pamelashumba1