Grave diggers divide council

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BULAWAYO councillors are divided over workers at city cemeteries that allegedly pester mourners to print grave identification plates.

BULAWAYO councillors are divided over workers at city cemeteries that allegedly pester mourners to print grave identification plates.

RICHARD MUPONDE SENIOR REPORTER

Councillor Mlandu Ncube of Ward 1 raised the issue and councillors Shilla Musonda (Ward 8) and Thobani Ncube (Ward 23) concurred accusing grave diggers of being a “nuisance” to mourners.

“Councillors Musonda and T Ncube concurred saying that some of the employees resorted to crude methods when soliciting for business.

“This is unacceptable particularly in the view of the fact that this was done during working hours,” the latest council minutes read. However, two other councillors, James Sithole of Ward 7 and Gideon Mangena of Ward 24 respectively differed and said the grave diggers were doing a good job.

“Councillor J Sithole noted that this practice had been happening voluntarily at cemeteries for many years now and the tendency was for mourners themselves to approach these people for service not the other way round,” the report said.

“Concurring, councillor Mangena felt that the individuals concerned were offering a good service to the community and this should, in his view, not be much of concern to mourners.”

However, councillor Clyton Zana of Ward 19 was concerned by the emergence of food vendors at the city’s cemeteries and inquired how the city was well equipped to respond to outbreak of diseases given the reported staff shortage in the department of health services.

“It was pointed out that as indicated in the report, the health service department continued to be on high alert for water and food-borne diseases,” part of the report reads.

“Councillor Thabitha Ngwenya (Ward 6) also confirmed that the department was adequately prepared for possible outbreaks of this nature.”