BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) plans to extend the Luveve cemetery measuring 54 hectares with a target of 100 000 graves, according to latest minutes of the town planning department.
Bulawayo has been battling a shortage of burial space following the decommissioning of West Park, Old Luveve, Athlone and Hyde Park cemeteries a few years ago.
However, burials taking place at the decommissioned cemeteries are for reserved graves and, in some instances, second interments.
According to the report, existing burial sites Luveve and Umvutcha are “getting depleted at a fast rate”.
“. . . and there is a need to open new cemetery sites to cater for the demand for burial space, taking into consideration the fact that the preferred method of disposal of the dead is through burial as cremation is not popular,” the report read.
The minutes state that the town planning department provides the sites in terms of the masterplan.
The report revealed that land has been identified to the north opposite Luveve Cemetery Extension 1 for the Luveve cemetery expansion project.
“This 54-hectare piece of land is expected to provide 100 000 graves. This proposed site is to be gazetted and used as a cemetery site,” the report read.
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“Access to the proposed cemetery site from the city centre is through Luveve Road and turn right onto Intemba Road, then left onto Gwabalanda Drive all the way past the old cemetery, then past the crematorium, where it begins going north opposite the current Luveve Cemetery Extension and gum plantation.”
Council said the roads needed rehabilitation.
There were no objections from other council departments to the proposed extension of Luveve cemetery.
“The council resolved to recommend that the piece of land measuring 54 hectares in extent now known as stand 10365 Luveve be approved as a cemetery site and be handed over to the health services department so that the site will be gazetted as a cemetery to enable its use for such purpose and that the health services department ensures that a prospectus is submitted to the Environmental Management Agency (Ema) as per Ema requirement,” the report read.
The local authority has been encouraging residents to embrace cremation to save burial space, but there have been few takers.
At one point, council considered introducing mandatory cremation for children under the age of 12.
Councillors have in the past suggested that residents bury their loved ones at their rural homes or cremate their remains to save burial space.
