The Chingwere cemetery in the northern part of the city was supposed to
be closed six months ago, but due to lack of alternative place, people
are still using the site.
Local officials say another burial site – the old Leopards Hill
cemetery — will be full within a year. They say there's no available
land left in the city.
Chanda Makanta is an official of the Lusaka City Council.
"We have no alternative burial space here [in Lusaka]," he says, "and
people should understand that the city has run out of [public] land
completely. [People] are bury [their deceased relatives] there not
because we [the council] have given them space. There are unscrupulous
[people acting as salesmen] who are taking advantage of the situation.
They are [selling] small portions of land [in the grave yard] without
the council's authority."
But Lusaka resident Timothy Makota says he does not condemn the illegal
grave plots. He says, "I can not like condemn those grave-diggers [who
give out illegal burial plots]. They are helping the community, because
currently the council has no plans [to improve the situation]. If they
are stopped [the illegal grave diggers] then where would poor people
[bury their relatives]?"Â Â
The situation has resulted in the creation of private cemeteries. But
people say the cost of the burial plots there is too expensive. The
costs range from K1, 500,000 to K5,000,000 [About US$428 to $1,428.]
Johan Richter is the manager of a private burial ground, Mutumbi Cemetery and Remembrance Park.
He said graves have never truly been free. Richter adds that
government has usually provided subsidies for public plots, but now the
cemeteries are full. People have to pay for private sites.
But what about the people who cannot afford private cemeteries like Mutumbi?
City council member Chanda Makanta offers her opinion.
"If the worse comes to worse," she saysd, "I can see a situation where
the council can propose that we start cremating bodies because we do
not have space to bury them. Though it is not in our culture, we should
understand that ….a dead body is a dead body."
Muslims and Hindus in Zambia says they have no problem with cremation,
but most Zambians, who are Christian, say it goes against their
religious beliefs.
Lusaka's population has grown four-fold in the last 10 years to well
over 2.8 million people. Over 900 bodies are buried every month.
VOA
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